Legend Catchers: Unova
by Angelic Sakura Blossom
Summary: Given powers by Arceus himself, a group of people were given a mission to protect the legendary pokemon from those that would abuse their powers. Years ago, most legend catchers were wiped out in a battle, leaving only four. However, they too disappeared, leaving their children to take on their mission.
1. Chapter 1

Inside the quiet town of Twinleaf, the sun was gently rising; giving light to a brand new day. Inside a certain house a blunette slept peacefully, curled up under her blanket, her deep blue hair spread out around her. Her door slowly opened a little and a Glameow strutted into her room. The cat-like pokémon jumped onto her bed and walked over to the girl's face. Glameow bent down and licked the girl's face, trying to coax her awake.

"Glameow…go away…I'm trying to sleep," she groaned, swatting the cat away. She pulled the cover over her head in order to hide.

"Dawn, it's time to wake up," the Glameow sighed, gently shaking her with her paw.

"I'm tired," Dawn groaned. "Ash and Brock just left a week ago. Can't I be a little sad and sleep in?"

"Come on, your mother has made Oran berry pancakes," Glameow coaxed.

"Fine," Dawn groaned, throwing the covers off and sitting up. She stretched and climbed out of bed.

"Finally," Glameow huffed, jumping off her bed. "I'll go tell Lady Johanna that you've woken up." With that the grey pokémon strutted out of Dawn's room, leaving her alone. The blunette sighed and went to her vanity, quickly brushing her hair. She quickly got dressed, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. Dawn ran down the stairs, placing in her hair clips.

"Morning!" She greeted.

"Good morning Dawn," Johanna smiled, setting a plate of Oran berry pancakes on the table.

"Good morning Dawn," Umbreon greeted, walking past her.

"Morning Umbreon," Dawn smiled, walking over to her seat and beginning her breakfast.

"Dawn, are you feeling alright?" Johanna asked, placing pokémon food bowls down. Glameow and Umbreon walked over to them and began eating.

"Just fine," Dawn smiled.

"Are you sure," Johanna asked. "You haven't been wearing much color lately."

"I'm fine," Dawn smiled, finishing her coffee. "I'm going to go on a grocery run, need anything?"

"Yes, the list is on the fridge," Johanna nodded.

"Alright," Dawn shouted.

* * *

A small blue penguin pokémon balanced a grocery bag on its head.

"Are you sure you can handle that, Piplup?" Dawn asked.

"O-Of course," The penguin answered nervously.

"You know, I could get take someone out if you need help," Dawn told him nervously.

"I'm fine, Dawn! I swear!" Piplup squeaked.

"Alright, if you say so," Dawn muttered, facing forward once more. A person pushed past her quickly, making her almost drop her groceries.

"DAWN!" Piplup screamed. Dawn looked at her side to see her pokémon gone, the grocery bag was on the ground, the produce out of the bag.

"Piplup!" Dawn gasped. She threw her groceries down and chased after the thief. "Get back here! That's my pokémon! Give him back!" Dawn pushed past people, following the thief quickly.

"Dawn! Help me!" Piplup screamed, though his voice was muffled.

"I'm coming Piplup!" Dawn assured him. "I won't let you out of my sight!" Dawn declared. _"I want to keep my pokémon safe, but what can I do? No! Now's not the time to be worrying! I have to save Piplup!"_Dawn felt something hit her, but assumed it was the air. She took a hard step and her eyes widened when she shot into the air. She flipped through it, landing in front of the thief sloppily. "That's my pokémon…" she growled, glaring at the masked man.

"Not anymore, sweetheart," he muttered, starting to run another way.

"Oh no, you don't!" Dawn growled. She rushed at him and quickly punched him in the back. The thief let go of Piplup and turned around, muttering confused things. Dawn picked up her pokémon.

"You're under arrest!" Officer Jenny shouted, slapping handcuffs on his wrists. "Sorry it took so long to get here. But you were amazing."

"Thank you," Dawn smiled.

"You were great out there. But, I've never seen you before," Jenny muttered.

"What are you talking about, officer?" Dawn asked in confusion. Dawn caught a glimpse of her reflection in a store window. "Huh?" She gasped, staring at her reflection in shock. She wore a tight white dress with a pleated skirt. Around her waist was a loose gold ring. There were grey leggings underneath and she had white boots with gold highlights that covered her knees. She had on a short-sleeved gold half-jacket with white pockets over her dress. She also had on white gloves that matched her boots. Most shockingly was her hair. It was pure white with grey streaks and reached her waist. She had a grey diadem in her hair with a gold gem in the center. Piplup stared up at his owner in awe. "What happened to me?" Dawn whispered.

"Is there something wrong?" Jenny asked.

"No, no, I'm fine!" Dawn said quickly. "I'm going to go home and make sure my Piplup is alright. Thanks for catching the bad guy!" Dawn quickly ran off, clutching Piplup tighter.

"Dawn, what happened to you?" Piplup asked.

"I don't know!" Dawn said with worry lacing her voice.

* * *

"Mom!" Dawn cried, entering the house and quickly locking the door behind her. "Mommy! I need help!"

"Alright," Johanna called, climbing down the stairs. She froze when she saw her daughter. "Dawn, what happened to you?"

"I don't know!" Dawn cried, rushing over to her mother. She threw her arms around the older woman's neck. "One moment someone was kidnapping Piplup and the next I was like this! And I can't turn back!"

"There there sweetie, we'll figure this out," Johanna assured her. "Come on, maybe you need to calm down before turning back. If you're freaking out like this it may be keeping you in this state."

"That's another thing, what 'state' is this? What have I turned into?" Dawn whimpered.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie, we'll figure this out," Johanna assured her.


	2. Chapter 2

In a quiet part of Veilstone City, a young man with long purple hair was asleep. At least, he wanted to be asleep. He woke up when he heard a small explosion but smiled to himself when he remembered that his little brother was finally home. The young man yawned and walked over to his window, opening it. "You know, you don't have to train so early!" He shouted into the backyard. A teen boy, also with dark purple hair, but shorter looked up at him. Next to him was a large black and yellow pokémon as well as a large turtle with trees on its back. "The sun is barely even up."

"I've been training for an hour, Reggie," the younger male answered.

"Honestly, Paul," Reggie sighed. "Come on inside, I'll start breakfast in a moment." Reggie went back into his room before popping his head back out. "Please be more careful! I'm looking after a cranky baby pokémon today, remember?"

"Fine," Paul sighed. Reggie smiled and nodded to himself, leaving his brother alone. "I can't even train in peace anymore," the younger boy sighed.

"Don't worry, you still have plenty of time to decide what to do," Torterra assured him.

"Yeah! The leagues don't start up for another two months," Electivire agreed.

"That doesn't give me much time at all," Paul huffed.

"Why don't you challenge Brandon again?" Torterra asked. "That was your original plan, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," Paul sighed. "I got word that he's left, and no one knows where he is. It would be pointless to try and chase him."

"So you have to come up with a new idea," Electivire muttered.

"That's about it," Paul muttered, taking out his pokéballs and returning the two. The purple haired teen walked into the house and saw that Reggie was scrambling eggs and cooking bacon. "You do know that breakfast doesn't have to be a feast, right?"

"Yeah, sorry." Reggie chuckled. "I just thought egg with bacon would be a good choice."

"Just that? Normally you make waffles along with it or something," Paul muttered. He sat down at the table and waited for Reggie to place the plates down.

"After breakfast I have to return some pokémon and pick up that baby pokémon," Reggie informed his little brother.

"Whatever," Paul huffed.

"Will you be fine by yourself?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, perfectly fine," Paul glared. "I have been traveling by myself, remember."

"Yeah, but, now, you have to protect some pokémon while I'm out. Don't be so mean to them, okay?" Reggie requested. "Most of them are still young."

"I make no promises," Paul muttered.

"Will you try?" Reggie pushed.

"I'll try, but I won't make any promises," Paul repeated.

"Well, that's the best I can get from ya," Reggie sighed.

* * *

Reggie had left about an hour ago.

"Reggie's brother! I'm thirsty!" A small Poochyena cried. Some other pokémon were a ways away from them, watching nervously.

"Milk or juice?" Paul huffed, getting off the couch and entering the kitchen.

"Pecha juice!" the puppy barked happily. Paul nodded and got a jug of pink juice out of the fridge and poured it into three small bowls. He set them down and watched the young pokémon swarm around it.

"How can such a small thing like juice make you happy?" Paul muttered to himself.

"They're just kids," a Gallade answered. "Showing them something that makes noise or is shiny will make them happy."

"Good point," Paul muttered, pouring a glass of water for himself.

"Mister Paul…" a tiny Chinling called nervously.

"Yeah? What do you want?" He asked.

"How come you know what we're saying?" he asked. "My owner never knows."

"Yeah! Reggie can tell, but he doesn't know exactly what we're saying!" a female Pidgey agreed.

"How come you can?" the young pokémon surrounded his ankles, wanting to know the answer.

"I just can," Paul growled. The small pokémon screamed playfully and ran off laughing. "Kids are so annoying," Paul sighed. "Whether human or pokémon."

"Master Paul!" a Zangoose shouted, running into the house.

"What is it?" Paul asked.

"An Ariados kidnapped two of the children! It took a Castform and Phanpy!" Zangoose shouted.

"Great, just great," Paul sighed. He turned towards the Gallade. "Take care of them and make sure everyone is inside! No pokémon is allowed to leave until I return! And no one can be let in unless recognized by one of them as its trainer!"

"Yes sir," Gallade nodded.

"Let's go," Paul sighed, rushing out of the house.

* * *

"Where did that damn thing go?" Paul growled.

"You'll never find them," Zangoose smirked, showing its claws. "There are no Castform or Phanpy at this little day care! There's also no cranky baby pokémon that's supposed to be picked up." Paul felt strings wrap around his torso, and was hung from a tree limb.

"What the hell?" Paul growled, struggling against the web. An Ariados crawled next to Zangoose and they both smirked.

"Right now our trainer is taking all the pokémon. With the help of Gallade," Ariados smirked.

"We've been waiting for this moment for a while now. That fool Reggie was supposed to take off and leave Gallade in charge. Then our trainer would come and take everyone!" Zangoose informed him. "But then you never left. So we had to get a little creative in how to lure you away from the house!" Paul gritted his teeth and growled, glaring at the pokémon.

"I hope you know that you'll never get away with this, I still have my pokémon," Paul growled, trying to reach for his belt. Web was wrapped around his wrists, keeping them away from his belt. Paul gritted his teeth together. _"Damnit! I can't let this end this way! I may not care about those pathetic pokémon but if anything happens, Reggie will be blamed! I can't let that happen!" _A strong burst of wind swept through the forest and hit Paul, causing him to blow back, and the tree branch to break. Paul broke free of the web and flipped through the air, landing on his feet.

"You aren't going to get away with this!" Paul shouted, running forward. His body felt weightless and he easily passed the two pokémon, who were in shock. Paul appeared at his house moments later and punched the door down. An older man gasped in shock, holding a bag, filled with the younger pokémon. "Let them go, now," Paul ordered, glaring at him. The trainer froze in shock. Paul took this moment to punch him, forcing him to drop the bag.

"Stop right there! Police!" Jenny called, knocking down the front door. Weavile was next to her, his arms crossed and smirking.

"It's a good thing I don't go in my pokéball all that often," He smirked. Paul took the bag and opened it, letting the pokémon come out. A few pokéballs rolled out as well. Officer Jenny took the criminal and placed him in the police car.

"Thank you for your help," Jenny saluted.

"No problem," Paul grunted.

"I hope the owner gets better protection for these pokémon for when he has to leave," Jenny sighed, before driving off.

"It wasn't Reggie's fault," Paul muttered, crossing his arms.

"Huh? Do you know Reggie?" Weavile asked, looking at Paul.

"Did you hit your head or something," Paul huffed, walking into the house. "It's me, your trainer. We may need to work on your memory."

"Paul! Is that really you?" Weavile gasped. "You look so different! What did the thief do to you?"

"What do you mean I look different?" Paul asked in an annoyed tone as he approached the hallway mirror. He froze and stared at his reflection in shock. His hair had turned white, with grey streaks. He had a gold drop hanging from a grey band wrapped around his forehead. Paul also noted that his hair was slightly longer and was in a ponytail that reached his lower shoulders. The shocked boy looked down at his clothes and found that he was wearing a white singlet with loose legs. The outfit had a grey stripe on the sides. There was a golden ring around his waist. He had grey leggings on and white boots that reached his knees. The fronts of the boots were golden in color. He had on a short sleeved jacket that was gold with white sleeves. On his hands were grey biker gloves. "What the hell happened to me?"

"You mean you don't know?" Weavile asked. "Well, that would explain why you didn't realize why I couldn't recognize you." Paul pulled on his bangs in shock.

"What happened?" Paul muttered, still in shock.

"Paul! What happened to the doors?" Reggie asked, entering the house. "Did the pokémon get into a fight or something?" He froze when he saw his little brother. His eyes widened and he took out a pokéball. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Reggie! It's me!" Paul shouted quickly.

"It's true!" Weavile shouted, nodding its head.

"Paul…" Reggie gasped in shock. "What did you do to yourself?"

"I didn't do anything!" Paul shouted. "I was tricked into the forest by pokémon who actually belonged to a thief that tried to steal everyone. And when I looked in the mirror, I looked like this!" he turned back to the mirror, in disbelief.

"Until we find out what's wrong, you can't leave the house, you do realize that, right?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah," Paul nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

Johanna handed her daughter a cup of tea. "Try to relax sweetie."

"Alright," Dawn nodded, taking the tea. She took a sip and winced "It's so hot." She breathed on it to cool it down but ice shot out of her mouth and froze the cup. Dawn shrieked and jumped up. "Mom! I froze the cup!"

"Oh dear," Johanna muttered, spotting the chunk of ice.

"That seemed like a pokémon move," Glameow observed.

"Yeah, doesn't Buneary know ice beam?" Umbreon asked.

"Yeah, and Mamoswine knows ice shard and ice fang," Piplup reminded them.

"Dawn, where are your pokémon?" Glameow asked.

"My pokémon? They're on my belt," Dawn answered, reaching for her belt, only to remember that her normal belt had been replaced with a gold ring.

"That's not good," Johanna sighed.

"Ah! Where are my pokémon!?" Dawn shouted in horror.

"Maybe, when you turned into this, you absorbed them or something," Glameow suggested.

"I 'absorbed' my pokémon?" Dawn breathed in horror.

"Well, now that I think about, you must have used bounce and dizzy punch to save me," Piplup realized.

"That would explain where they went," Johanna noted. "And why you could use ice beam. You must have absorbed them and learned their moves. Let's test it out." Johanna picked up the ice covered cup and walked outside with her daughter. She set it down on the ground and took a step back. "Try channeling Quilava and use flamethrower." Dawn nodded and took a deep breath before releasing it, and a large stream of fire with it. Dawn squeaked and covered her mouth, canceling the attack.

"Well, that explains where your pokémon went," Umbreon muttered, staring at the melted and misshapen cup.

"I'm sorry," Dawn sniffed.

"Don't worry, honey. I can buy a new mug," Johanna assured her.

"No you can't," Dawn cried, stomping her foot. "That was dad's mug! His special mug!"

"Honey," Johanna frowned. "Calm down, it will be alright." Dawn sniffed and fell to her knees, crying. Piplup rushed over to its trainer and cuddled into her.

"It'll be alright," Piplup assured her, beginning to cry as well.

"Come on, sweetie," Johanna frowned, helping her daughter back into the house.

* * *

"Well, why don't you try keeping your mind off of it," Johanna suggested, opening the door to the attic. "This attic is in need of cleaning and you never know what you'll find. I always get relaxed when I'm cleaning the attic."

"Alright, I'll try," Dawn nodded. "I hope I don't use another move."

"Just keep calm," Johanna assured her. "You'll do fine." Johanna patted her shoulder and left her daughter alone. Dawn took a deep breath and nodded.

"Time to get to work," She smiled.

* * *

After an hour of cleaning Dawn felt much more relaxed but her fear would spike every so often when she realized she was still different. The blunette pulled a box of books up and walked over to a bookcase that would store them. She tripped over a rolled up rug and the books spread out onto the ground, causing a dust cloud to form. Dawn coughed and picked up the books, placing them back in the box. She froze when she saw one wrapped in cloth. She opened it carefully and found a leather bound book with lock on it. She brushed her fingers against the clasp. A light formed at the tip of her fingers. The small ball of light swirled with color, putting Dawn in a trance. The light floated down towards the book and entered the lock. With a soft click the clasp opened and Dawn smiled. She opened the book and noticed a letter tucked in the front page. She unfolded the paper and looked at it.

_Dear Dawn_

_This is my personal journal, and it was my mother's before me, as well as my grandfather's. This journal has been passed down through the generations for a special reason. It is more precious than life itself and must be protected at all costs. Inside this journal you will read about the journeys of your family. Before the stories begin, an explanation must be given. I know you must be freaking out right now, and I apologize for not being able to comfort you. You have transformed. It must be a scary thing, but it is natural. For our family at least, and a few others. You are a Legend Catcher. An extraordinary being that will catch the legendary pokémon, and become friends with them, protect them. Inside this journal you will find a guide on the Legend Catchers. There is also a number that I want you to call as soon as you transform back, it will be in the book. They'll be able to help you and train you better than I ever could. Please, be careful,_

_Love_

_Your Father_

Dawn read the letter once more, not believing what was written. "Wait a minute, I'm supposed to befriend the legendary pokémon?" she gasped. Mesprit flashed through her mind, as did all the other legendaries she encountered on her journey. "Dad…why did you never tell me…" she cried, holding the book close.

* * *

"Dawn?" Johanna called, entering the girl's room. She saw her daughter sitting on her bed with her pokéballs in front of her. Dawn had returned to normal. "Dawn, are you okay?" Johanna asked, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Did you know…?" Dawn whispered.

"Know what?" Johanna asked. Dawn limply held up the letter for her mother. Johanna took it and read it through quickly. "No…I didn't know…" she muttered, sitting next to her daughter.

"It's all dad's fault that I'm like this," Dawn sighed. "He was like this too, and now it's been passed onto me."

"Dawn, I'm sure it isn't that bad," Johanna whispered, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm a freak," Dawn muttered, burying her head in her knees.

"No you're not, now come on. Why don't you have some tea, I'll make it cooler this time," Johanna smirked.

"Alright, I'll be down in a second," Dawn agreed. Johanna nodded and left her daughter's room. Dawn took out the journal and flipped through the pages, finding the number.


	4. Chapter 4

"What am I supposed to do?" Paul groaned, pulling on his white hair.

"Have you tried taking off the clothes at least?" Maylene asked. Reggie had called her and they were trying to figure everything out.

"Yes, and it seems like they're attached to my body," Paul growled. To demonstrate he tried taking his boot off, but it wouldn't budge. "Nothing!"

"Maybe you should calm down, that could be the key to turning back to normal," Reggie suggested.

"I always use meditation to help calm myself; do you want to give it a shot?" Maylene suggested.

"Paul," Reggie warned, noticing his brother's eyes harden.

"Fine," Paul grumbled.

* * *

"Take a deep breath in, hold it for a moment and then slowly release it," Maylene told him. Paul closed his eyes and did as he was told. The two sat in silence as they breathed. "Now, clear your mind, make it completely blank." Paul nodded and started to clear his mind of everything.

"I can't believe he's actually doing this," the familiar voice of his Weavile whispered.

"Yeah, he's never followed Miss Maylene's words," the deep voice of the pinkette's Lucario spoke.

"But, doesn't he look so cool?" a young pokémon giggled.

"Yeah! He looks like a superhero!" another answered.

"No, he would be more like a villain! He's not very nice!" an older pokémon argued.

Reggie watched in amusement as the pokémon chattered away in their tongues. All the while Paul was getting angrier and angrier.

"Will you…SHUT UP!" He shouted, turning to glare at them. All the pokémon froze in fear, not saying another move.

"Paul! You don't have to be so mean!" Reggie shouted.

"I-I can't move…" Lucario grumbled, trying to move its limbs.

"Master Paul, please stop," Weavile asked, trying to move his claws.

"His glare is so scary!" Poochyena cried.

"That's almost like my Glare," an Ekans whispered, flinching under his gaze.

"And that shout! It was like my Screech!" a small Shuppet agreed.

"What…?" Paul grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Maylene asked.

"They just said…" Paul muttered, standing up. The pokémon relaxed as he stopped glaring at them. "They just said I used pokémon moves."

"You understood them?" Maylene asked in shock.

"Yes, it's an ability Paul's had since he was young, but he often ignores it," Reggie explained.

"And with good reason," Paul huffed. "The baby pokémon here have annoying voices."

"So, what did they just say?" Reggie asked.

"Ekans said that my glare was like his move 'glare', and Shuppet said my shout was more like a 'screech'," Paul answered.

"Doesn't Ninjask know Screech?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, and didn't you recently catch a Seviper with the move Glare?" Maylene added.

"Speaking of pokémon, where are the others?" Weavile asked.

"My pokéball belt is gone," Paul told them. "I must have absorbed them and their moves when I turned into this. That means, when I broke free of Ariados's web, I was already transformed, and used Hariyama's Strength. And I got here so quickly using Ninjask's Agility move."

"And you must have broken down the door using Brick Break from Electivire," Reggie realized.

"Now you really have to turn back, if you want your pokémon back," Maylene realized.

"But the question is, how?" Reggie told her. They both looked at Paul, who was staring at his hand as he curled and uncurled it. "Paul, would you like some hot chocolate." And much as the teen hated to admit it, he had a certain sweet tooth reserved for the confection.

"…yeah…" Paul muttered, his cheeks becoming light pink.

"There's my master for you," Weavile snickered. "No one would ever guess that this guy adores chocolate!"

"Shut up…" Paul growled, grabbing his pokémon. He dragged Weavile inside, while the other pokémon just laughed.

* * *

Paul drank his cup of hot chocolate and sighed in content. After a moment, a Bibarel ran into the room, holding a book in her hands. She handed the book to Reggie who accepted it.

"Did you find this in the study while you were cleaning?" Reggie asked. Bibarel nodded her head and chirped quickly.

"She said that she's never seen the book before," Paul told him. Reggie looked at the book and frowned.

"It's locked," he announced. "And I've never seen it before either.

"Can I see it?" Paul asked. Reggie held the book out to his younger brother. The transformed boy finished the cup and wiped his mouth before taking the book. "Maybe I could use a pokémon move to unlock it." He placed his fingers on the clasp, but froze when a light formed under his hand. He drew it away to find a small bead sized ball of light resting in his hand. He blinked in silent awe over the colors that danced and pulsed within the sphere. As if in a trance he tipped his hand and let the light fall. The light disappeared into the keyhole; with a click, the clasp unlocked and relaxed, rising into the air slightly.

"Whoa…" Reggie whispered.

"What just happened?" Maylene asked.

"I think this might hold the answers to my problem," Paul told them. He opened the book and took out a piece of folded paper.

"'Dear Paul, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. First, I want to say sorry for abandoning you like I did. But I had no choice. I left this to your father for when you became old enough. No doubt, you have transformed. This book can only be found when its owner has first transformed. It is a guide for the 'Legend Catchers'," Paul read.

"'Legend Catchers'? What's that?" Maylene asked.

"Don't know," Paul answered, but he continued reading, "'A 'Legend Catcher' is a human that befriends legendary pokémon and protects them, keeping them out of the hands of evil. Inside this journal, you will find all the information you need, including how to transform on your own. It will be difficult at first, but I know you can do it. Another thing, there is a number in here that I need you to call. They will be able to help you with your job, in fact; they are also 'Legend Catchers'. I am sorry for everything, your mother'." Paul finished the reading the letter and just stared at it in shock.

"Well, what does it say? How do you turn back?" Weavile asked. Paul flipped through the pages, scanning them.

"It says that I have to convince myself that I am not in danger, as well as any nearby pokémon," Paul answered. "But I already know that!"

"Maybe it says something else," Maylene suggested, taking the book and looking it over. "Here! It says that you also must have a clear mind." Paul sighed and took a few deep breaths, telling himself that there was no danger and that he was fine. He felt a feeling of warmth wash over him.

"You did it!" Reggie cheered. Paul fingered his hair, pulling a purple chunk in front of his eyes. He looked down and saw that he was wearing his normal clothes as well. Paul stood up, flipping through the book.

"I'll be right back, I have a phone call to make."


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn sighed as she stared at the journal. She was outside in the backyard gazebo.

"Dawn, are you alright?" Piplup asked.

"Yes, you have been acting rather strangely lately," Togekiss agreed.

"Do you guys not remember what happened?" Dawn asked.

"What do you mean?" Quilava asked.

"I transformed, and you were absorbed into my body," Dawn answered; not believing her pokémon.

"It's true!" Piplup insisted.

"I do feel like a fought, but I can't remember anything," Buneary muttered.

"Same here," Quilava mumbled.

"Because you did," Dawn told her, picking up the bunny. "Or rather, I used your moves."

"Oh! Why couldn't you have used my moves?" Pachirisu cried, while running around the table. "That would have been super cool!"

"I'm sorry," Dawn smiled. "At the time I didn't notice. I was just so focused on saving Piplup. I used Bounce, and then Dizzy Punch. Later on, I used Ice Beam on accident. I was trying to cool a cup of hot tea."

"That doesn't explain Quilava," Mamoswine muttered.

"I used flamethrower to melt the ice, and the cup. It was a test to see if I really had absorbed you guys," Dawn explained.

"I still wish you could have used one of my moves!" Pachirisu cried, throwing a little tantrum.

"I'm sorry I was more concerned about getting you guys than I was with using your moves," Dawn muttered.

"Dawn, you cannot blame her, she still acts like a little child. She is young at heart," Togekiss whispered.

"I know," Dawn sighed.

"But still, you seem to be beating yourself up over something," Quilava observed.

"My dad…he left a number for me to call," Dawn explained. "I just don't know if I should."

"Do you trust your father?" Mamoswine asked.

"Yes...no. I don't know!" Dawn cried. "He left when I was young. I don't even remember his face!"

"Dawn, he is your father, do you trust him?" Togekiss asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Dawn nodded weakly.

"Then go call the number," Togekiss ordered gently.

"We'll be beside you," Mamoswine yawned.

"Thanks guys," Dawn smiled, rushing inside. She ran to the video phone and opened the journal, flipping through the pages. She stopped at the page and dialed the number. A young girl about the same age as her picked up. She had long dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Her bangs were tied into braids, framing her face. There was a beauty mark underneath her right eye.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hi, my name is Dawn," the blunette introduced.

"Nice to meet you Dawn, I'm Emi" The brunette smiled. "How'd you get my number?"

"Um…well…my father left me a journal. He said that if I need any help, I should call the number that was put in the journal," Dawn explained nervously.

"Dawn, how old are you?" Emi asked.

"I'm fifteen," Dawn answered.

"Ah, and tell me, have you ever met any Legendary pokémon?" Emi asked.

"Yeah, I've met several," Dawn nodded.

"You can transform, can't you?" Emi asked.

"Yes," Dawn confessed softly.

"Don't worry, you've called the right person," Emi assured.

"That's good," Dawn smiled.

"Listen, I just got off the phone with a young man just like you. He transformed for the first time yesterday," Emi informed her.

"Just like me," Dawn muttered.

"Yep," Emi nodded. "We're meeting up tomorrow in Hearthome city. We'll be meeting at the restaurant La Petite Maison. Would you like to join us? I'd rather talk to you both at once if you don't mind."

"Sure," Dawn nodded.

"Good, I shall see you tomorrow evening. The reservations are for 6:30, under McCarthy. Don't be late," Emi winked before hanging up. Dawn hung up as well and sighed.

"Dawn? What's wrong?" Johanna asked.

"I'm going to Hearthome tomorrow," Dawn said to her.

"Why?" Johanna asked.

"I called the number dad left for me," the blunette answered.

"I see," her mother hummed.

"Mom, have you ever been to La Petite Maison?" Dawn asked nervously.


	6. Chapter 6

Honchkrow landed outside a fancy restaurant and Paul jumped off.

"Thanks," the purple haired boy muttered, taking out his pokéball.

"Good luck," Honchkrow nodded before being returned. Paul pocketed the device and straightened his purple tie. He wore a white dress shirt and black dress pants. The boy was slightly put off when he was requested to go to a formal place for the meeting but he wouldn't complain. The meeting would give him the answers he wanted. He strolled into the restaurant and looked at the waiter.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"McCarthy," Paul answered. The man looked at the list and nodded.

"Right this way sir. Your other party member has arrived, but the hostess hasn't come yet," he informed him. "I do apologize for the wait." The waiter led him past the rest of the diners, and to a door. The waiter opened the door and bowed. Paul nodded and entered the room. He saw that it was slightly dark with four dimmed lamps, one in each corner. There was a window, where the other guest was. Her hair was in a braided bun. She wore a dark pink dress that reached the floor; at least, Paul assumed it was dark pink. There was a rose on the side of the dress. She turned around and they both gasped.

"Paul?" The girl breathed in shock.

"Troublesome?" the male questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to meet Emi, are you here for the same?" Dawn asked.

"So that means-" Paul sighed, piecing it together. "I never would have thought that she meant you when she called to say that it had been extended to include another person."

"All Emi said was that young man had gone through the same thing the day before," Dawn told him. "You two had just gotten off the phone when I had called, or at least, she said you had."

"But, why would she pick here?" Paul asked. The door opened once more and Emi strolled in. Dawn and Paul both took her in, finding that her hair reached her ankles and flowed freely. Her hair was free from braids they had previously seen. Emi wore a sleeveless light blue dress that reached her knees in a bell skirt. She had on white tights, and white hand gloves.

"Sorry for being late," She apologized.

"You're not late," Dawn assured her.

"That's good," Emi smiled. "And I also apologize for choosing this place; it is quiet romantic, isn't it?"

"Majorly," Paul huffed, crossing his arms.

"I apologize for that as well," Emi sighed. "This was the only restaurant that offers exclusive rooms, for meetings and such. And I thought you would be hungry from the journey over here. Everything is my treat, so feel free to pick whatever you want when the waiter returns." Emi sat down, and gestured them to do the same. "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, there are some things the guide doesn't cover."

"I have a question, where are your parents?" Paul asked. "You're the same age as us, why would my mother entrust me to you?"

"Yeah, same with my father. He said 'they should be able to help', but it's only you," Dawn agreed.

"Yes, unfortunately, your parents never entrusted you to me, they entrusted you to my parents," Emi sighed, propping her head on her entwined fingers. "But, my parents were killed a few years back. Unlike you two, I knew about my Legend Catcher blood because they were both Legend Catchers. But I'm determined to carry out my father's dying wish and help you through this. Now, before we get started, how about we eat?" Emi snapped her fingers and the waiter strolled in, placing down a plate. "An appetizer sampler. All of their appetizers on one plate; pick what you want. And, what would you like to drink?"

"I'm good with water," Dawn smiled nervously.

"Same here," Paul nodded.

"If you say so," Emi shrugged, taking off her gloves to take a mozzarella stick. Dawn followed her and took one as well.

"I didn't know high class places served food like this," Dawn muttered.

"They don't, I paid them extra to do so for this night," Emi told them. "I thought you would be more comfortable eating regular food than something high-class."

"Thank you," Dawn smiled. Paul took a chicken bite and sighed, eating it.

"Once we're finished eating, we can get down to business," Emi assured them, sensing Paul's annoyance.

* * *

The waiter took away the main meal and set a brownie with a small scoop of ice cream on it. Paul got chocolate, which he secretly enjoyed. Dawn got a scoop of pecha berry ice cream and Emi got a mint scoop.

"Now, onto business," Emi smiled. "First, I would like to formally introduce myself. My name is Emiline Corina McCarthy. My family calls me Emily, but I prefer Emi."

"I'm Dawn Aurora Berlitz," The blunette smiled, taking a bite of her desert.

"Paul Stone," the purple haired boy muttered.

"Aw, how come we don't get to know your middle name?" Emi pouted.

"Because I don't want to share it," Paul glared. Emi sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, now, as you know, the main objective of Legend Catchers is to befriend and protect the legendary pokémon. Befriending them is the hard part. Most of them were stubborn and wouldn't listen until a Legend Catcher nearly gave their life to protect them."

"So are we just supposed to go around and protect them?" Paul asked.

"Ordinarily, yes," Emi nodded. "That would be the job of beginner Legend Catchers. But, there is a problem."

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"There was a fight over ten years ago and most of the Legend Catchers were killed. The only ones that survived were Cyrus Seloin, Anna Canter, Nicole Stanton, and Simon McCarthy, my parents. Cyrus Seloin is Dawn's father, and Paul's mother is Anna Canter," Emi explained. "Since our birth, my parents have been killed."

"My dad's vanished as well," Dawn told them.

"And my mother and father both died." Paul added. "At least, we assumed that they have. Nothing was found, no note, no bodies, it's as if they never existed."

"Exactly," Emi nodded. "We are the only three Legend Catchers left. Our job is now to find and befriend legendary pokémon while protecting them."

"How can three teens protect that many legendaries?" Dawn asked.

"I'm more concerned with the fact that there is one region left untouched by the Legend Catchers. No one has been able to go to Unova, even if they were taken there by one of the legendaries. They were always stopped before they entered," Emi informed them.

"So, there's a whole region that we have to explore?" Paul asked.

"Exactly," Emi nodded. "A region that has very little information. Unova's been shut off from the rest of the world until about a year ago. Not much is known. But they have their own pokémon. There aren't even pokémon from other regions there."

"So, we have to go and find these pokémon," Paul summarized.

"Exactly, but there is one thing you won't like," Emi sighed. "The Legend Catcher job is a secret; no one is supposed to know. In order to not raise any suspicion, you will have to leave your teams behind and get a new one."

"What? You expect me to leave my pokémon behind?" Dawn asked in shock.

"It does make sense though," Paul agreed. Dawn frowned and set her spoon down.

"But I could never leave Piplup behind," she whispered.

"I know this is a hard thing to do, but in order to protect everyone, a few sacrifices must be made," Emi told her, taking the blunette's hand in her own. "You aren't releasing your pokémon, you'll still have them, they just won't be with you. If you leave them with someone you trust, they'll be fine," Emi assured her.

"When are we leaving?" Paul asked.

"Well, travel arrangements have to be made," Emi told them. "And you two do need to prepare for the journey. It should be ready by this Friday. I'll call you when everything's settled."

"If that's all, then I'm leaving," Paul sighed, standing up. He left the room, leaving the two girls alone.

"Emi…do you have a picture of what my father looks like?" Dawn asked.

"Actually, after the battle, our parents took a picture together. But, my house got burnt down after my parents were killed, I'm sorry," Emi apologized.

"It's okay," Dawn sighed, standing up. "Thank you for explaining everything."

"No problem," Emi winked. "If you ever need anything, feel free to call!"

"Thanks," Dawn nodded, leaving the room. Emi giggled to herself and took a bite of her brownie and ice cream.

"Things are going to turn out super great, I can't wait to get to Unova!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure about this sweetie?" Johanna asked as Dawn continued to pack her backpack.

"Yeah, I need to do this," Dawn nodded.

"But what about us?" Piplup cried.

"I'm sorry, I can't take you with me," Dawn apologized, kneeling next to her pokémon. "I want to, I really want to take you along, but Emi said I should only have pokémon from Unova so I don't draw attention to myself. I'll miss you all."

"We'll miss you too Dawn," Buneary agreed. The smaller pokémon jumped forward, giving Dawn a hug.

"Dawn, you should get going before the ferry leaves," Johanna suggested, holding out the leather bound journal. "Don't forget this."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Dawn nodded. "I'll send Togekiss back when I make it to Snowpoint City."

"Alright," Johanna nodded.

"Togekiss, mind if I try this out?" Dawn asked, holding up the pokéball.

u"Of course," Togekiss bowed as she was returned.

Dawn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A bright white light surrounded her for a moment and when it faded she stood transformed.

"I thought you could only transform if a pokémon was in danger," Johanna gasped.

"I read through the transformation part of the journal, it said that I could force the transformation if I concentrated hard enough," Dawn answered. "I wanted to try flying using Togekiss." The transformed girl exited the house and stood in the backyard. "Okay…Fly…" Dawn commanded. Wings similar to Togekiss's grew out of her back and they flapped gently, lifting her.

"That's so cool!" Pachirisu gasped.

"Get there safely," Glameow smiled. Dawn picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder.

"I will," Dawn nodded. She took off into the air, flying off.

"Have a safe journey!" Johanna smiled, waving goodbye.

* * *

Paul stayed silent as he packed his bag. Reggie entered his room with a few small boxes.

"Alright, I have some medicine and food for you," he smiled, setting it on Paul's bed. "If you're ready we can get going to Snowpoint City."

"Yeah," Paul nodded, placing the small box in his bag. He zipped it up and placed it over his shoulders. "Let's go." The two exited the house, going to the van.

"Goodbye Paul," Torterra called from the front porch. The purple haired boy's pokémon were all gathered there, saying goodbye.

"Have fun!" Weavile snickered. Paul nodded and climbed into the passenger side of the van.

"Are you sure you can handle everything?" Reggie asked Maylene.

"Positive, just leave the pokémon to me, don't you trust me?" the pinkette smiled.

"Alright, good luck," Reggie nodded, climbing into the driver's seat. "I should be back tomorrow. Late tonight if we make it to Snowpoint in good time," he told her.

"Alright, I can keep the pokémon safe until then," Maylene assured him. "Just go."

"Okay, bye," Reggie nodded, starting the car.

"Good luck Paul, have a safe journey," Maylene smiled.

"…thanks…" Paul muttered, glaring out the window. Reggie smiled and drove off towards Snowpoint.

* * *

Snow began falling and Dawn could feel her wings cramping up. "Looks like I'm going to have to land and walk from here I guess," the girl shivered, looking at the ground. She slowly lowered herself and landed, rubbing her arms in discomfort. She hissed as the wings disappeared, leaving her back cramping. Dawn closed her eyes and turned back to normal. She shivered and rubbed her arms once more. She slipped her bag off and zipped it open, reaching inside for her jacket. Just as she was about to pull it out, a van pulled up next to her and Reggie smiled from inside.

"Hey Dawn," he greeted. "Need a lift?"

"Get in troublesome," Paul huffed, crossing his arms. Dawn smiled and zipped her bag up, climbing inside the back seat. She quickly buckled up and Reggie drove off once more.

"So, you headed to Snowpoint City as well?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded.

"Of course she is," Paul huffed. "She's the other one."

"Oh, so you're like Paul?" Reggie smiled.

"Yep!" Dawn smiled.

"Well then, we have a ferry for you two to catch," Reggie smiled.

* * *

"There she is," Paul announced, pointing to the brunette girl that was sitting on a bench.

"Alright," Reggie smiled, pulling over. "Good luck you two. And Paul, try not to be so hard on Dawn."

"Yeah." Dawn agreed with a smile, as she jumped out of the van.

"Whatever," Paul sighed, rolling his eyes and he climbed out.

"Dawn, feel free to call me if he starts giving you a hard time," Reggie said. Dawn chuckled as Paul glared at his brother.

"Oh, Reggie, can you send my Togekiss back to my mom?" Dawn asked, holding out the pokéball.

"Sure thing," Reggie smiled, taking it from her. "I'll make sure she gets back safe and sound."

"Thank you," Dawn smiled, rushing after Paul. The two approached Emi, who stood up with a smile.

"Are you two ready to go?" Emi asked. Dawn and Paul nodded, causing Emi to smile.

"Great! Right this way," the brunette led them to a large ship with the name 'McCarthy' written on it. "This is my family's private yacht. It'll help us get there and be able to freely talk about the mission."

"Ummm…exactly how much money do you have?" Dawn asked, looking at the ship nervously.

"My father was quite the inventor, one of the best. And my mother was a successful doctor. So, I'm quiet rich," Emi smiled as they climbed the stairs into their transportation. "I also have a private plane, but I figured using the yacht would give us more time to prepare for the journey." Dawn looked over at Paul nervously. The male shrugged and looked at the inside of the ship.

The three teens walked through the hallways of the boat and entered the main room. The chairs were lush and colored grey. The flooring was a glossy hardwood with a white rug. There were gold, satin curtains next to every window. There was also a large wood table with plush chairs surrounding it. All in all, the inside was fancy, Dawn was afraid to walk on the white rug and get it dirty. "Come on in," Emi smiled, walking to one of the plush seats. It swiveled around to face the table. "First, we'll need to discuss some important things, so I would appreciate it if you would sit at the table." Paul sat down and the chair swirled, facing the wooden table. Dawn sat down nervously and the chair moved on its own, forcing her to face the table.

"What do we have to go over?" Paul huffed. "We go to Unova, we find the legendary pokémon, and we protect them."

"Yeah, what else could you need?" Dawn asked.

"Well, there are a few things to go over," Emi smiled. She snapped her fingers and a maid entered the room, placing a folder in front of them. "First is the list of the legendary pokémon, you need to go over that."

"Oh! Victini looks so cute!" Dawn smiled, looking at the small pokémon's picture.

"Yes, adorable," Emi nodded in agreement. "Anyway, inside the folders is a list of the pokémon, their last known moves, and their last known locations."

"Most of the files are blank," Paul noticed.

"Unfortunately." Emi sighed. "I tried to gather as much information as possible, but, not much is known."

"Well, that's certainly a problem," Dawn muttered. "How are we supposed to find them if we barely know anything?"

"You keep an eye out," Emi answered.

"Fantastic." Paul huffed. "We don't even know where we're going. You're just sending us to an unknown region and hoping we succeed."

"No!" Emi blushed. "I know a few things about Unova, so you're not going in completely blind, but there's still a lot that's unknown about the place. And, I'll be informing you of every new thing that's found."

"You're not coming with us?" Dawn asked in shock.

"No, I'm not much of a fighter, I'm more of a recon girl," Emi confessed, her cheeks turning pink. "I do better with gathering information then I do with actually fighting. Which is how I found you two."

"What do you mean?" Paul asked.

"Simple, the pokémon were never really in any danger," Emi answered. "I have been researching the family trees of several Legend Catchers in order to find someone to help me with the job. I found you two. So, I asked a few friends of mine to help me. They played the parts of thieves and forced you to transform and discover your heritage. I was simply carrying out my father's wishes. To find and recruit you."

"Let's get one thing straight," Paul growled. "I don't like being manipulated. Why would you do that?"

"That was pretty low," Dawn agreed.

"Be honest, would you have believed me if I told you who you truly were?" Emi told him seriously.

"I guess I wouldn't, no," Dawn muttered. "I'd think you were crazy."

"Exactly," Emi nodded. "I had to put you in a situation to where you would discover your genes. If I hadn't of done that, they could have remained hidden until the day you die. Besides, it was of upmost importance that I get you to Unova."

"To protect the legendaries, we know," Paul sighed.

"No, I have reports of very suspicious activities coming from a secret group," Emi replied. "Considering what Dawn went through with Team Galactic, I thought it would be the perfect mission for her. This group could be after the legendary pokémon. Which ones, I don't know. But, there are grounds for suspicion."

"I see, so you had to transform us so we could investigate this group and put a stop to them if needed," Paul realized.

"Exactly," Emi nodded. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, but it had to be done."

"What makes them suspicious?" Paul asked.

"They're a pokémon liberal group," Emi answered. "They're trying to get people to release pokémon, but at the same time, several people have caught them battling with pokémon, and forcing pokémon away from their trainers. They even talk about a 'king'. Even if they aren't after the legendary pokémon, it is our job to stop them. The main priority of the Legend Catchers may be the legendary pokémon, but we cannot turn a blind eye to this. We are to protect _all_ pokémon."

"Well, what do we do first?" Dawn asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Dawn and Paul were going through the folders, looking at the information of the legendary pokémon.

"This is so hard to do without any actual details," Dawn groaned, hanging her head back.

"We have to make do with what we have," Paul sighed, flipping to the next profile. Dawn huffed and leaned back in her chair, flipping through the pages. Suddenly Emi let out a squeak, jumping out of her chair.

"What's wrong?" Dawn gasped, jumping up in shock.

"Oh…umm…I forgot about something…" Emi muttered, before clearing her throat. She snapped her fingers and once again the maid entered the room. This time she was holding a silver tray with six pokéballs on them. "Your pokémon!" Dawn and Paul stood up, going over to the tray.

"First up, are the three starter types," the maid announced, releasing the pokémon. A grass snake, fire pig, and a blue otter appeared looking up at them happily. "You can choose between Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott."

"They're all so cute," Dawn gasped, crouching down and smiling at the three.

"So, which will you choose?" Emi asked. Dawn smiled and picked up Snivy, admiring the snake.

"I'm going to go with Snivy. I feel like I'd be replacing Piplup if I went with Oshawott," the blunette smiled, cuddling the small grass type. Snivy smiled and wrapped its small arms around her neck, giving her a hug.

"I'll go with Oshawott," Paul sighed, picking up the pokéball.

"Will you be taking Tepig?" Dawn asked Emi.

"No, I have my own pokémon, I don't need Tepig," Emi told them. "Please, leave the Tepig here."

"Yes milady," the woman bowed, leaving.

"What are those pokéballs for?" Dawn asked, looking at the other three. Instead of being red and white they were silver and looked like glass.

"What are those? They don't look like any pokéball I've ever seen," Paul muttered in shock, reaching out to take one.

"These are pokéballs created just for the Legend Catcher job. It allows you to call upon any legendary pokémon that you yourself have befriended. You need the pokémon's permission to be able to fully use this pokéball though," Emi explained. Dawn took one as well, examining it. "Why don't you try them?"

"And summon what? We don't have any pokémon's approval," Paul answered.

"Actually…" Dawn trailed off, staring at the pokéball. She held it out in nervousness, taking a deep breath. "Mesprit, I call upon you." The ball popped open and instead of a red light coming out to form the pokémon, a white light appeared. A golden ring of light surrounded it and slowly encircled the white light, turning it golden. The two lights molded together, taking on the form of Mesprit. The pink pokémon looked around in confusion until she saw Dawn. Mesprit gave a soft cheer and flew over to the girl. Dawn smiled and took the pokémon in her hands, giving her a hug. "Mesprit! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too! It's been so long!" Mesprit said.

"Amazing," Paul whispered, looking at the pokémon. He looked at the pokéball in his hand and nodded. "This will definitely come in handy."

"I know you bonded with me, but I didn't think I'd actually be able to call you," Dawn said.

"Of course you could! That's why I chose you," Mesprit said. "I could tell you were a Legend Catcher the moment we met." Mesprit flew around Dawn, laughing.

"You two can call upon any legendary pokémon that you have already befriended or caught in this special ball," Emi smiled. "And when you no longer require their assistance you can send them back home."

"Mesprit, I'll see you some other time, alright?" Dawn smiled at the lake guardian.

"Alright! But don't take so long next time!" Mesprit warned. The blunette opened the pokéball, returning Mesprit to her lake. The maid approached them once more, pushing a tray.

"Compared to normal trainers, the Legend Catchers have a few different devices, such as your pokédex." The maid held up a watch like device with a rectangular screen. "This device acts like the x-transceiver of the Unova region. It can make calls, tell time, give you a map of the region you are currently in, it also acts as your pokédex." They both took one of the white watches, looking at it. Dawn smiled and pressed a button, making a holoscreen appear.

"Whoa…" she gasped.

"Of course, it is a bit more high-tech than normal x-transceivers," Emi said with a proud smirk.

"How do we make it scan a pokémon?" Paul asked. Emi smiled and strapped the third watch around her wrist.

"You use this," she answered, pointing to a clear bump. She pointed it at her tepig and a red light came out of it, scanning Tepig. The holoscreen appeared, creating images of Tepig.

_Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. Normally, fire shoots out of Tepig's snout, but it shoots out smoke instead when it is feeling ill._

"That's so cool!" Dawn smiled, turning to Snivy.

_Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm, and collected, Snivy uses photosynthesis to collect energy with the leaf on its tail._

Paul held up his watch and scanned his own pokémon.

_Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott__attacks__and defends using the scalchop__that can be removed from its stomach._

"And you can easily share the information between watches," Emi said. She held her watch close to Paul's. Tepig registered in his pokédex quickly, and Snivy registered in hers.

"What else can these do?" he asked.

"Well, by pressing this button it can give off a signal to your partner saying that you're in danger," Emi explained, pointing to one of the buttons.

"Do you have that button memorized, troublesome," Paul smirked.

"Oh shut up, Paul." Dawn scowled, crossing her arms.

"Yeah shut up!" Snivy nodded, crossing her arms as well.

"There are several different apps, as well as one that allows you to track a pokémon, so long as you have placed a tracer on them," Emi smiled, sliding her finger across the screen.

"How do we do that?" Dawn asked. Emi pointed to three gun like objects and a cylindrical case for each one. Emi picked up one of each she opened the case and took, out a small chip. She placed the chip back inside the case and closed it. Emi quickly placed the case in a compartment in the gun and locked it in.

"Those small chips I showed you were tracers. You use this gun to shoot the tracers. It won't hurt the pokémon, only attach to their skin. They may feel a little pain, like when you get hit by a marble but it goes away quickly," Emi explained.

"How do you know that?" Paul asked. Emi smiled and pointed the sleek white gun at Tepig. The fire pig stood absolutely still and let his Emi shoot him.

"Ow!" He gasped, rubbing his paw against his head. He blinked and nodded. "I don't feel anything anymore."

"And then you press this button," Emi hummed, pressing the button. The holoscreen turned into a 3D image of the world, and a blinking red dot was over the ocean. She tapped the red dot and an image of a Tepig appeared. "In case you tag more than one pokémon, you can see which one it is by tapping one of the red dots."

"That's useful," Dawn noted.

"How do we deactivate a tracer?" Paul asked.

"Once it falls off the pokémon, it shuts down," Emi told them. "These tracers can last anywhere from a few minutes, to a few days, even weeks. It all depends on how long it takes the tracker to fall off. You can track them all around the globe if needed. If you've caught a pokémon, just find the chip and take it off to deactivate it." To demonstrate she rubbed her hand over Tepig's head before she found the chip. She plucked it off the pokémon and the red dot disappeared from the world map.

"That's awesome," Dawn smiled, picking up a gun and a tube of chips.

"This will come in handy. Especially if we're chasing a legendary that doesn't trust humans," Paul agreed.

"Great," Emi smiled. "Now that's all. You'll be dropped off at Nuvema town and you'll meet professor Juniper. She'll give you your pokédex that you'll use in front of other trainers, and five starter pokéballs."

"Wait, you're not going to be with us?" Dawn asked us.

"Unfortunately I have some business to attend to in Castelia city," Emi sighed.

"Great, then I only have one troublesome girl to look after," Paul muttered, sitting down and picking up the manila folder again.

"If we're going to be traveling together, can you at least _try_ to act nice!?" Dawn demanded, glaring at him.

"Agreed!" Snivy huffed. "You two are stuck with each other, so you might as well get along."

"Why would I do that?" Paul asked. Dawn grumbled and sat down next to him, looking over her folder.

"Oh boy…this is going to be a long journey," Emi sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I'd like to give you a heads up. I'm going to Job Corp on the 9th and I won't be bringing my laptop with me because they won't do anything if something were to happen to it. I'm allowed to come home on weekends, but I won't be able to do that unless I reach certain requirements and my mom and I have decided on an every other weekend routine. So my updates won't be as routine as they normally are. I'll try to still stick to the once a month schedule, but the updates will most likely be a lot more random.**

* * *

Dawn and Paul walked through the forest. Snivy sat on Dawn's shoulder while Oshawott trailed behind them.

"How much farther until we reach the lab?" Dawn asked.

"It shouldn't be that far," Paul answered. They reached the top of the hill and spotted the lab. "Ask and you shall receive."

"Well in that case, can I have Piplup back?" Dawn muttered. Paul rolled his eyes and began walking down the hill. Dawn followed him.

* * *

"Hello?" Dawn called, entering the empty front room.

"Can I help you with something?" An elderly man asked.

"Professor Oak?" Dawn asked in shock.

"That's me," he smiled. "You're Dawn right?"

"Yeah," The blunette nodded.

"You know professor Oak?" Paul asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he's the one that gave Ash Pikachu and had him start his journey," Dawn answered. "I met him a few times when I was travelling with Ash." Paul hummed and tilted his head, taking in the information.

"Where's professor Juniper?" he asked.

"Oh, she had to run out real quick," Oak explained. "A trainer is coming by later and she now has to go get new starter pokémon."

"How long until she's back?" Paul asked.

"She shouldn't be too much longer." Oak assured them. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually, we're here to get our Unova pokedexes," Dawn explained.

"Well then I'm afraid you'll have to wait, she also went to get some of those too," Oak frowned.

"Damnit," Paul hissed.

"What do we do now?" Dawn asked.

"You're more than welcome to sit and wait," Oak said, gesturing to the couches. "I myself have to get back to work." With that the elderly man walked out of the room, heading back to the lab.

"I guess we don't have any choice but to wait," Paul sighed, walking over to one of the couches. He pulled a folder out of his bag and flipped it open.

"You've already read that thing ten times," Dawn pointed out.

"It doesn't hurt to read it once more," Paul grumbled, not moving his eyes.

"The only information in there is names and pictures," Dawn sighed. "I've already got that stuff memorized."

"Well maybe there's something hidden that might give us a hint," Paul told her.

"You know you don't have to be such a jerk!" Dawn shouted at him, standing up.

"And you should take this more seriously," Paul growled. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"Going to do?" Dawn repeated.

"We're undercover, meaning we can't let anyone know what we're really doing," Paul reminded her. "I was thinking about challenging the leaders of this region, give myself a cover. What are you going to use as a cover?"

"I…I don't know…" Dawn muttered. She fell to her knees and stroked Snivy's head. "I'm not cut out for gym battles. They just aren't my thing. And this region doesn't have any contests."

"Good, I wouldn't be able to stand sitting through one of those things," Paul muttered.

"Nobody said you would have had to," Dawn said grumpily. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Have you ever heard of a pokémon musical?" Dawn and Paul both looked up, seeing a young boy wearing glasses. He had short black hair with an antenna sticking out. He wore a blue jacket over a white shirt with a red stripe running down the center.

"Pokémon musicals?" Dawn repeated.

"Correct," the boy nodded. "I'm Cheren, I take it you two are new to Unova."

"Yeah," Paul answered gruffly. Dawn picked up Snivy and smiled, standing up.

"I'm Dawn, that grump over there is Paul," the blunette smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Cheren bowed. Dawn nervously bowed back, straightening up quickly.

"What's a pokémon musical?" Dawn asked.

"It's an event in Nimbasa city. Trainers dress up their pokémon and the pokémon dance onstage acting out musicals. I saw one last month. It was of Beauty and the Beast," Cheren told her. "And it was very good."

"Can anyone participate?" Dawn asked Cheren.

"I believe so, yes," he confirmed. "Unfortunately they only take place in Nimbasa."

"Paul, when should we reach Nimbasa?" Dawn asked. Paul put the folder away and held up his watch.

"Don't know, if we don't have any business there we may just skip it," Paul told her. Dawn sighed, staring at the floor in sadness.

"You shouldn't treat her like that," Cheren scolded. "If your girlfriend wants to go to Nimbasa you should go."

"Girlfriend!?" The two shouted, staring at him in horror.

"Why the hell would I ever want to date her?" Paul asked. "She's way too troublesome!"

"Yeah well you're a jerk! And you're cruel to pokémon!" Dawn countered.

"Not dating, my mistake," Cheren muttered, backing up. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt before returning them to his face.

"Stop fighting!" Snivy shouted. Vines came out from her collar and she hit them both on the head.

"Ow! That hurt," Paul growled, glaring at the snake.

"What was that for Snivy?" Dawn cried, rubbing her head.

"You two are working together you need to not fight like this!" Snivy told them.

"We didn't exactly agree to travel together because we wanted to you know," Paul huffed.

"But she has a point," Dawn sighed, rubbing her head.

"Can you…understand your pokémon?" Cheren asked in shock.

"Yeah." Paul nodded, rubbing his head. "Can't believe you attacked me."

"You deserved it!" Snivy huffed, crossing her arms. "You should not shout at my mistress."

"Damn, your Snivy is just as annoying as you are," Paul hissed. He let out a shout as he was hit with another vine.

"We heard that," Dawn said with a frown.

"You got in trouble," Oshawott chuckled, laughing at its trainer.

"I can put you back in your pokéball," Paul threatened, taking out the object.

"No!" Oshawott screeched, running behind Dawn to hide.

"So, where are you from?" Cheren asked, trying to distract them. Luckily, it worked.

"Paul and I are both from Sinnoh. I'm from Twinleaf town, and he's from Veilstone," Dawn answered.

"Ah, so are you travelling together simply because you know each other?" Cheren asked.

"It's none of your business," Paul huffed, standing up and rubbing his head. "Once we get our pokédexes we'll probably never see each other again. Why are you so curious?"

"I apologize," Cheren said quickly. "I am here for my starter pokémon. I arrived earlier but I got the news from Professor Oak. I was just exploring around the lab. I guess I was getting a bit bored."

"That's fine, we all get bored from time to time," Dawn said, picking up Snivy. "So, what pokémon are you going to choose?"

"I don't know," Cheren confessed with a small smile.

"I'm sure you'll make your choice once you see them," Dawn smiled.

"That's what I'm hoping," Cheren chuckled with a smile.

"We've got big trouble!" Juniper shouted, running into the lab.

"Professor Juniper!" a few lab assistants gasped, running over to her.

"What happened?" Professor Oak asked.

"I don't know. Something ran in front of the jeep and I hit a tree trying to avoid it. The pokémon escaped from their pokéballs and ran away," Juniper told them. "If we don't find them quickly something bad may happen to them!"

"What pokémon were they?" Cheren asked.

"A Snivy and a Tepig," Juniper answered.

"I'll go look for them!" Cheren ran out of the building, heading towards the forest.

"We'll help!" Dawn declared, returning her Snivy.

"Why should we?" Paul asked quietly.

"Paul, a pokémon is in danger, it's our duty to make sure they're safe," Dawn hissed.

"Fine," Paul grumbled, returning Oshawott. They ran out of the building and looked around.

"There's the crash!" Dawn shouted, spotting the car. They ran over to the car and looked it over.

"Which way would they run off?" Dawn asked.

"If either of them were a water type we could look near the river or a lake…" Paul muttered.

"Should we look for spaces without trees? Grass types like to sunbathe sometimes," Dawn suggested. "Especially Snivy, they photosynthesize."

"Alright, you go look for Snivy, I'll look for Tepig," Paul nodded.

* * *

Dawn looked around a field desperately.

"There should be a Snivy sunbathing out here somewhere. I need to find it, quickly," Dawn said. "Wait!" Dawn gasped and took out her pokéball. Snivy came out in a streak of red light.

"Have you found the missing pokémon?" Snivy asked.

"No, I'm searching for the Snivy and I thought it might be sunbathing, but I don't know where to look," Dawn told her. Snivy hummed and looked at the sky. She glanced back at field taking everything in.

"It is a nice spot, but it's not perfect," Snivy told her. "If I were to sunbathe I would want to the sun be directly above me, not to the side." Snivy looked around.

"The shadows are stretching to the left, so does that mean we should travel to the right?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Snivy agreed.

* * *

Paul huffed as he walked through the forest. He pushed a branch up as he passed, looking around.

"How the hell am I supposed one pokémon in this forest," he growled to himself.

"Get back here!" A voice shouted. Paul ran forward, pushing back a branch. He saw Cheren jump forward, landing on the ground harshly. A tepig stood away from him. The pig tilted his head and laughed at the poor boy.

"Come on, just come here so I can take you back to the professor," Cheren groaned, standing up.

"No way! This is too much fun! Can't we continue this game?" Tepig laughed. Cheren lunged forward, trying to grab the fire-type. The pokémon laughed and jumped out of the way.

"Tepig," Paul shouted, stepping into the clearing. Cheren and Tepig looked up at Paul. The purple haired teen stepped forward, standing next to Cheren. He glanced down at him and scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Pathetic."

"At least I'm trying to catch it, what are you going to do?" Cheren demanded, standing up and brushing off his clothes, not that it made the grass stains disappear. Paul rolled his eyes and stepped in front of the Tepig.

"Come on, you have to get back to professor Juniper," Paul told him.

"And why should I? It's fun out here!" Tepig shouted. "I hate being inside. It's much more fun outside."

"Professor Juniper wants to give you to a new trainer," Paul told it.

"What does that mean?" Tepig asked.

"It means that you'll be able to go on an adventure," Paul said.

"Really?" Tepig asked, his ears twitching.

"Really," Paul nodded. Tepig lowered his head to think. He gasped and looked over to the side.

"What's over there?" He shouted, running off.

"Hey get back here!" Paul shouted, running after him.

"Oh brilliant job," Cheren scoffed, running next to him.

"Hey, I had him," Paul hissed. "He's just easily distractible!" Tepig turned a corner and they saw a Snivy join it in its run. The two boys tried to stop as Dawn came into view. The three collided, falling onto the ground, with Dawn on the bottom.

"Great," Cheren sighed.

"This is just perfect," Paul huffed.

"I don't know it seems to be a field of Sunflora for me!" Dawn shouted sarcastically from below them. The two boys scrambled off of her and Dawn grumbled to herself as she stood up.

"Are you okay?" Cheren asked.

"Just peachy," Dawn muttered, brushing off her clothes.

"We lost them," Paul announced.

"Great," Dawn sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, at least they're together now," Cheren said meekly.

"Yeah I guess so." Dawn muttered.

"They were heading this way, so we should head that way as well and track them," Paul said, walking forward, keeping his eyes on the ground. He watched the footprints create a trail.

"How do you know that you're following the foot prints of Snivy and Tepig?" Cheren asked.

"If we had pokédexes we could check," Paul muttered. Dawn stepped forward, falling in step with Paul.

"But we do," she whispered.

"Not in front of him," Paul muttered, pushing a branch back. "It's supposed to be a secret."

"Right," Dawn sighed, looking down at the foot prints. "They stop." She announced, looking around. Cheren turned in a circle, his eyes sweeping over the forest sight.

"I don't see any disturbances in the foliage," he told them. The three froze as they heard several pokémon cry out.

"They came from this way!" Paul shouted, running off. Dawn and Cheren were right behind him. They came to stop when they saw a web hung up between two trees. Among the small pokémon stuck to the sticky string were Snivy and Tepig.

"Oh no, not again," Dawn groaned.

"You've seen this before?" Cheren asked.

"Yeah, before I picked my starter they got into a fight and escaped. Piplup ended up stuck to an Ariados web and we ended up being chased and attacked by them," the blunette explained.

"There aren't any Ariados in this region," Paul told her, walking towards the nest.

"But there are Galvantula," Cheren said. "The question is, how do we get them down without disturbing the nest?"

"We don't," Paul replied, taking out a pokéball. "Go Oshawott!" The blue otter came out and looked around. "Oshawott use razor shell to cut this web."

"Right!" the pokémon nodded. Her took the shell off of his stomach and raised it. A web spit out of the trees, hitting Oshawott and electrocuting it.

"Hey!"Dawn shouted as the otter as thrown onto the web.

"Oshawott return!" Paul ordered, holding out the pokéball. The pokéball was taken out of his hand by another string of web."I'm gonna kill this bug." The Galvantula scurried out of the tree, crawling onto the web. The trapped pokémon began squirming even more, desperately trying to break free.

"Galvantula! Release those pokémon!" Dawn ordered.

"Why would I take orders from a puny girl that can't even stand still?" Galvantula hissed. Dawn realized that she shaking and gulped, taking a nervous breath.

"Release the pokémon now," Paul ordered.

"While you certainly are courageous, why would I release them?" Galvantula asked. "Would you take their place in my web?"

"Cheren…what do Galvantula do exactly?" Dawn questioned nervously.

"They shock and then consume their prey," Cheren answered.

"You want to eat us in exchange for the pokémon?" Dawn asked the spider. Cheren turned towards her in shock, his eyes becoming wide.

"Yes, they are my meal, if I let them go then I will eat you instead," Galvantula declared.

"Paul, we have to do it," Dawn told him.

"Are you insane?" Paul shouted. Dawn glanced at him and her eyes narrowed. The purple haired teen blinked and noticed her arm shift towards her belt, touching the crystal pokéball. He smirked, getting her message. "Fine, but you're on own. Get my pokéball back and I'll join you," he told her.

"Alright," Dawn agreed, stepping forward.

"So are you going to become my meal?" Galvantula chuckled.

"Not exactly," Dawn said. A bright light surrounded her, forcing everyone to close or look away. When the light died, she stood transformed. "Vine whip!" She commanded. Vines came out of her hands and she threw her arms, hitting the Galvantula, and knocking him off his nest.

"Come on," Paul ordered Cheren, running to the nest. The younger boy followed him and they began pulling the pokémon off the web. Cheren pulled Tepig off and pulled the sticky substance off of him.

"Help me," he asked. Tepig oinked and nodded.

Dawn ducked as the electric spider spit an electric web at her. Another web flew at her and she let out a shout as she was hit and electrocuted. Galvantula shrieked and red rings came out of his mouth, hitting the trapped girl. Dawn let out a scream of pain and attempted to cover her ears.

"Dawn!" Paul shouted, pulling his Oshawott off of the web. The blunette nodded and weakly held up a hand, wincing as the Bug Buzz hit her ears. "L-Leaf Tornado." Her hand was surrounded by green light and leaves flew out of them, creating a small cyclone. The cyclone hit the web holding the pokéball and it dropped into Paul's hand. The teen returned his pokémon and quickly transformed.

"Razor shell!" Paul ordered. A shell, similar to the one on Oshawott's chest appeared in his hand. A white light extended from the shell, becoming a blade. He rushed at Galvantula, swinging the blade. The spider jumped back, avoiding him and stopping the attack.

"Cheren, help me," Dawn gasped, struggling to move in the web. Cheren pulled the last pokémon off and ran over to her. He pulled off the web.

"What is going on?" He asked.

"We'll explain later, just free her," Paul ordered, holding up his sword. Cheren nodded, and pulled the last of the web off. Dawn ran next to Paul and held out her hand, it glowing green once more.

"Leaf Tornado!" She ordered. Leaves blasted out of her hand and hit Galvantula, lifting it in the air. The bug hit the ground and glared at them.

"Do you really want to continue?" Paul asked, holding up his sword.

"Fine, I'll find something else to eat, seeing as how you've already taken my food," Galvantula turned around and scurried away.

"Troublesome, are you alright?" Paul asked, the sword disappearing. He transformed back, and Dawn followed his lead.

"Did you say something?" She asked, rubbing her ear.

"Let me see," Paul huffed, pulling her hands away.

"There's blood on her hands," Cheren gasped. Paul grabbed Dawn's chin and turned her head sideways. There was blood trickling out of her ear. He turned her head to the right and saw the same thing.

"Looks like that Bug Buzz damaged her ears a bit," Paul muttered.

"What?" Dawn shouted.

"Your ears are damaged," Cheren said loudly. Dawn nodded in understanding and rubbed her ears.

"Let's get you and the pokémon back to professor Juniper," Paul huffed, grabbing her arm and leading her through the forest. Cheren picked up Tepig and Snivy and carried them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hmmm…her ears do appear to be slightly damaged," Juniper hummed, using a tool to look into Dawn's ear. "But it's nothing that can't be easily fixed. Dawn, can you hear me?" She asked slightly louder.

"Not really" Dawn shouted. "There's a really loud buzzing in my ear."

"Yes, you should experience that for a few more hours, but it'll calm down in intensity after a while. You should be back to normal and ready to travel by tomorrow," Juniper told her.

"What?" Dawn yelled.

"You'll be fine in the morning!" Paul snapped.

"Alright, Alright, jeez." Dawn huffed, looking away from him.

"So, Cheren, you ready to choose a pokémon?" Juniper asked.

"Yes actually," Cheren nodded. "I'd like to choose Tepig." Juniper smiled and picked up a pokéball and handed it to him.

"Well then, here's his pokéball, and here are you starter pokéballs," Juniper smiled. Cheren nodded and collected the items, putting them in his bag. "And here are your pokédexes." Juniper held out three sleek devices. Paul took one that was purple and black one, and Dawn grabbed the light pink and white one, leaving Cheren with the blue and grey one. Juniper stepped next to Paul and tilted his device up. "Using this port here you can connect it to your watch and trade the information so the ones you've recorded on one device can travel to the other. You can even use it between yours and Dawn's." the professor whispered.

"Thanks," Paul said gruffly. "I'll explain it to Troublesome later." Juniper smiled and patted his shoulders.

"Well, seeing as how Dawn currently can't hear, how would you like to stay the night until she's returned to normal?" Juniper asked.

"Fine," Paul huffed.

"What are we doing?" Dawn asked loudly. Paul growled, his eyebrow twitching.

"We're spending the night here!" He shouted back in anger. "As if she wasn't annoying enough," he grumbled.

"It was nice meeting you two," Cheren told them quickly. "I'm gonna get going." With that the new trainer turned around and ran out of the lab.

"What's wrong with Cheren?" Juniper asked, packing away the medical tools.

"He's probably in shock," Paul sighed.

"What happened?" Oak asked.

"A Galvantula tried to eat the pokémon and almost got us," Paul lied. "His journey hadn't even started and he'd already seen the cruel things pokémon can do."

"That is hard for a new trainer to digest," Juniper agreed. "By the time he gets to his first town, he should be fine. Come, I'll show you to your room."

* * *

"No way!" Dawn shouted in shock. After a night's sleep, Dawn's ears had stopped ringing and bleeding, leaving her safe to travel. Just as they were about to set out, Professor Juniper stopped them, giving them shocking news.

"Zekrom was here?" Paul said in equal shock.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Juniper frowned. "It was here a few days ago. I created a file on what happened for you. It's the least I could do. I'm sorry you missed it." Paul took the file and opened it.

"Zekrom sucked the electric energy out of a pokémon in Nuvema town. Later that day it appeared above your lab and returned the electricity to the pokémon," Paul read.

"So it was an accident that Zekrom stole the energy?" Dawn asked.

"Most likely," Juniper nodded. Paul turned the page and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked. The male held out the file for her to see and she looked it over in shock. "Zekrom took the electricity from Ash's Pikachu?"

"I can never get rid of that guy," Paul huffed, crossing his arms.

"You know Ash?" Juniper asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded. "Before he came here apparently, he was in Sinnoh, I travelled with him. Paul was his rival."

"Well then, I'm sure you'll run into him sometime," Juniper smiled. "Have a safe journey!"

"Thanks!" Dawn waved as they left.

"That 'safe' part didn't even last before we got our pokédexes," Paul scoffed.

"Sorry," Dawn sighed.

"Not your fault for that one," the older teen shrugged. "We're new to this; mistakes are going to be made. As long as we learn from them, things will be fine."

"That is true," Dawn agreed. The two walked through the forest in silence. "I vote that we get a few first aid supplies in the next town."

"Agreed," Paul nodded. "You're going to need it."

"What?" Dawn shrieked, causing the purple haired teen to smirk.

* * *

The two walked in a semi-tense silence. Dawn looked around nervously before she sighed and took out her pokéball. She held out her arm and released Snivy. The grass type appeared in her arms. Dawn smiled and returned the pokéball.

"What's wrong milady?" Snivy asked.

"Nothing, I just can't stand the silence," Dawn said quietly. Snivy looked at her owner before looking over at Paul, who was purposefully ignoring them.

"He's not a very…talkative person, is he?" Snivy asked.

"No, he's not," Dawn agreed with a chuckle.

"You do know that I can hear you right?" Paul growled.

"Yep!" Dawn laughed.

"Is it so hard for there to be silence around you?" Paul huffed.

"No, not as long as it's a comfortable silence," Dawn said. "But in a tense silence like this, it's uncomfortable."

"I was just fine," Paul said.

"Well I'm not! Especially with knowing that you're so silent because you hate me," Dawn said.

"I don't hate you." Paul sighed. The blunette looked at him in shock. "Don't get your hopes up. Just because I don't hate, doesn't mean I like you, because I don't. You're annoying and way too happy."

"Well, it's a start." Dawn smiled.

* * *

The two looked down from the hill.

"According to the map, that's Accumula town, and after that it will be Striaton city, the first gym badge," Dawn announced, looking at her watch.

"Does this thing say when the sun should set?" Paul asked, holding up his watch. The holographic map came up, and changed to the time along with a sun chart.

"Wow, this does everything," Dawn said in shock.

"The sun will set in about an hour. We'll go to the pokémon center and stay the night there," Paul told her.

"Sounds like a plan to me," the coordinator agreed. The two walked down the hill, speeding up the closer they got.

* * *

Once they entered the pokémon center Dawn looked around.

"Hey Paul, do you mind if I go look around the stores for a while?" Dawn asked.

"Whatever," Paul shrugged. "I'll get us a room. Just be back before it gets dark."

"Why should I? You're not my dad." Dawn growled, sticking her tongue out.

"No, but you get into enough trouble when the sun's out, who knows what'll happen to you at night," Paul said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, but I must confess that I agree," Snivy chuckled nervously.

"What? You agree with him?" Dawn asked in shock.

"I think that means that you should have a curfew," Paul smirked.

"Dawn? Paul?" A voice called. Dawn and Paul turned around, seeing Cheren. The younger boy stood nervously, his hand twitching.

"Hi Cheren, how are you?" Dawn asked happily.

"I…need to talk to you," Cheren told them.

"Later," Paul said, stepping towards the reception desk.

"Welcome to the pokémon center, what do you need?" Nurse Joy asked.

"A room, two beds," Paul answered.

"This isn't something that can wait! I need to talk to you guys now," Cheren huffed.

"Whatever it is it can wait until later," Paul sighed.

"You're in luck, we have one room available, you'll be in number 22! Here are your room keys," Joy smiled, holding out the cards. Paul took one and held the other out for Dawn. Just as she grabbed it, he pulled the card back.

"Don't lose it," he warned her.

"I won't," Dawn told him. Paul looked at her and handed the card to Snivy.

"Make sure she doesn't lose it," he told her.

"I won't." Snivy smiled, taking the card.

"Oh come on." Dawn groaned.

"Please, can I just talk to you guys about what happened in the forest?" Cheren asked.

"Fine," Paul huffed.

"Aw, I wanted to go shopping too," Dawn moaned.

"You can go tomorrow, they'll be plenty of sunlight out and you won't get into any trouble," Paul said. "Let's go."

* * *

The three were in Room 22. Dawn was flipping through a guide book, looking through the pages. Snivy sat in her lap, looking at the pictures. Paul was laid back on one of the beds, scrolling through the pokédex. Cheren sat on the other bed, fidgeting in his seat.

"Are you going to speak or not?" Paul asked in a bored tone.

"Paul, let him think over what he wants to say," Dawn told him. "Oh, the Nimbasa gym leader is a model. Wonder if I could get fashion tips when we get there."

"I don't care if you do, it just better not get in the way of my battle," Paul warned her.

"It won't," Dawn told him.

"Just…what are you?"Cheren shouted.

"So he can speak," Paul said. They both placed their activity down and faced Cheren.

"What do you mean, Cheren?" Dawn asked.

"I mean, you can talk to pokémon, which isn't that strange, my friend Touko could do that," Cheren confessed.

"Touko?" Paul repeated with interest.

"She was my friend when I was a child," Cheren told them.

"What about now?" Dawn asked.

"I…I don't know actually, she left Nuvema town a couple years ago and I haven't heard from her since," Cheren confessed.

"If you want, we could have our friend Emi look into it," Dawn suggested.

"Thanks, but that's not what I'm concerned with," Cheren told her. "I want to know about you. What are you?"

"We're people," Paul answered.

"But you're not _just_ people," Cheren argued. "People can't transform into…whatever that was! People can't use pokémon moves! So what are you?"

"Like I said before, we're people," Paul answered. "100% pure human."

"We're people, but we've been given special gifts," Dawn told him. "We're Legend Catchers. Our job is to find the legendary pokémon and protect them. Our powers were given to us by Lord Arceus."

"Arceus gave them to you?" Cheren asked in shock.

"Not exactly," Paul corrected. "Arceus gave them to our ancestors. It became a gene that was passed down through the generations. And we inherited it."

"Are you the only ones?" Cheren asked.

"No, our friend Emi is one as well," Dawn answered. "She actually found us and awoke our genes. She said that we're the last three left. The other Legend Catchers died in a battle several years ago before we were born. Our parents survived."

"But still, even then, they disappeared when we were kids," Paul added.

"I see, so the talking with pokémon is a side effect?" Cheren asked.

"I wouldn't say it like that. I'd say being able to understand pokémon is a power of its own. Every Legend Catcher can do it," Dawn said. "It's one of our many abilities."

"And the transforming, that's another thing," Cheren said, getting the hang of it.

"Yeah, that's our main power," Paul replied. "When we transform, we absorb our pokémon. We can use their moves, as if we were them. What they know, we know. And apparently, we're also more susceptible to pokémon attacks as well." Paul glanced at Dawn, who laughed nervously.

"That wasn't really my fault you know," she muttered.

"Moving on," Paul huffed, waving her off.

"So…what are you doing in the Unova region?" Cheren asked.

"The Unova region has been unexplored by the Legend Catchers. We're here to find them and befriend them so we can protect them!" Dawn explained.

"I see," Cheren nodded.

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Paul asked.

"Y-Yeah," Cheren nodded. He stood up and walked over to the door.

"Hey Cheren," Dawn called. Cheren looked back at the smiling blunette. "You can't tell anyone, you do realize that, right?"

"Yes, of course," Cheren nodded. "Well, um, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Dawn smiled, waving as he left the room. Dawn stood up.

"I'm going to get ready for bed, come on Snivy." Snivy jumped off the desk and followed her trainer into the bathroom.


	11. Chapter 11

"Following Route 2 seems to be the fastest way to get to Striaton City," Paul muttered, looking at the map on his watch.

"That's a pretty short route. We could reach Striaton by tomorrow," Dawn hummed. "And we may run into Ash if we're lucky."

"What would be lucky about that?" Paul scoffed, lowering his arm.

"Well, we could ask him more about his encounter with Zekrom, figure out where it might have gone," Dawn answered.

"And here I thought you were stupid," Paul said with a smirk.

"You are not funny." Dawn grumbled, glaring at him.

"Didn't you want to shop before we left?" Snivy said.

"Oh, that's right!" Dawn gasped, remembering. "I promise it will only take a while! Please?"

"Fine, let's go," Paul agreed reluctantly.

"So what do you wanna do?" Oshawott asked.

"I wanted to buy a new outfit. Something with true Unova fashion!" Dawn said with a smile and a wink. "I figured that if we're going to be chasing after legendary pokémon, a skirt would be a pretty bad thing to wear. I want a new outfit, or at the very least some shorts."

"You're on a roll with smart ideas," Paul smirked.

"Let's just go," Dawn grumbled, exiting the pokémon center. "Hey, there's Cheren!" she smiled, running up to the younger trainer. "Hey Cheren!" She greeted.

"Oh, hi," he greeted nervously.

"You aren't scared of me are you?" Dawn asked with a giggle.

"Scared? Why would I be scared?" Cheren said rather quickly.

"Because we're not ordinary people," Paul answered, approaching them.

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess that's true," Cheren said meekly.

"Hey, we were going to go shopping, you want to join us?" Dawn asked.

"I was actually on my way to Striaton city," Cheren confessed.

"What a coincidence, we're heading there after I buy a new outfit!" She smiled and took his hand. "Come on, I could use a Unova native to tell me what's hot and what's not."

"I don't really think I'll be of much help. I'm not really that into fashion," Cheren told her.

"Too late!" Dawn laughed, dragging him off.

"Aren't you going to stop her?" Oshawott asked.

"Hey, better him than me," Paul said, following them.

* * *

"What about this one?" Dawn asked, holding up a blue top. Cheren looked around nervously.

"It's nice," he answered.

"I feel like there's a protest in there," Dawn said.

"No! There isn't!" Cheren said quickly.

"Just pick a shirt so we can be on our way," Paul huffed, leaning against the wall.

"Excuse me, may I be able to help?" a worker asked. She had brown hair that was in a ponytail. She wore a yellow shirt and regular jeans.

"No, we're fine," Dawn answered.

"I think your friend over there might be a bit nervous, are you sure?" She chuckled, looking at Cheren.

"Well, I guess so," Dawn shrugged, placing the blue top. "Got anything for travelers?"

"Oh, I think I might have the perfect thing!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Follow me!"

"Awesome," Dawn smiled, following her. "Snivy, you stay with the boys, okay?"

"As you wish," Snivy nodded. She walked over to Oshawott and jumped onto the bench next to him.

"Is she always like this?" Cheren asked, sitting on the bench as well.

"Don't know," Paul shrugged. "I met her a few times in Sinnoh, but never really paid much attention to her."

"Why not?"Cheren asked, looking up at him.

"She was travelling with this pathetic trainer who thought I was his rival," Paul shrugged. "He was a good trainer, but he wasn't very smart."

"Oh, I see," Cheren nodded, looking forward.

"Hey Paul, how much time should she take?" Oshawott asked.

"Who knows," Paul muttered. "She just better not take too long."

"I hope she's quick," Oshawott said.

"Shame on you!" Snivy scolded, slapping the otter pokémon with a vine.

"Ow! What did I do?" Oshawott shouted, rubbing his head.

"You should never rush a lady. Especially when it concerns getting dressed," Snivy huffed, crossing her arms.

"But she's already dressed!" Oshawott protested.

"Don't even try it Oshawott," Paul sighed. "This is a battle you're going to lose. Reggie can't even beat Maylene when it comes to this."

"Who are they?" Cheren asked.

"Reggie's my brother, and Maylene is his girlfriend, and a pathetic gym leader," Paul huffed.

"So is Reggie like you?" Cheren asked, looking away.

"No, He's my half-brother," Paul stated. "We share a father, and I get my gene from my mother."

"Oh, I see," Cheren nodded.

"Tada!" Dawn cheered, running in front of them. She had on a white long sleeved shirt with a pink tank top over it. The pink top had two black straps that fell off her shoulders. The v-neck had a thick black stripe. The edge of the pink shirt was torn fashionably. She had on denim jeans that were slightly baggy. A long pink scarf was tossed over her shoulder. Her white beanie was on her head, covering her yellow clips. She had on light gray and light pink running shoes to complete it.

"What do you think?" She smiled, turning around for them to see.

"Its fine," Paul sighed. "Can you pay for it so we can go now?"

"You are no fun at all," Dawn said, a blank look on her face.

"I think you look wonderful Dawn," Snivy complimented.

"Aw, thank you Snivy," Dawn smiled, walking over to check out. She dug into her bag, taking out a coin purse. She laid the money on the counter and thanked the woman for her help.

"Can we go now?" Paul huffed, pushing himself off the wall as Dawn approached.

"Yep, we're all set," Dawn said with a smile.

"Finally." Paul quickly exited the shop, with Oshawott trailing after him. The otter pokémon leaped onto his shoulder, settling comfortably. Dawn picked up Snivy and followed Paul. Cheren exited the shop awkwardly. He started to walk the opposite direction of them, heading back for the pokémon center.

"Cheren! Where are you going?" Dawn asked. The new trainer flinched and turned around.

"Striaton's this way," Paul said, jerking his head towards the next route.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Dawn asked.

"Coming with you?" Cheren repeated.

"Yeah, you can travel with us, you know," Dawn told him.

"Wouldn't I just get in the way of your mission?" Cheren asked.

"Please, Troublesome over here is enough trouble, you'll be fine," Paul told him. Dawn glared at him for a moment but turned back to Cheren, smiling.

"So come on, the first gym awaits," Dawn said.

"Well…I guess I could," Cheren said, walking back over to them.

"Great!" Dawn cheered.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Cheren asked.

"We talked it over and it's fine with me." Paul shrugged.

"So come on." Dawn smiled, pulling the younger boy with them.

"Alright, if you say so," Cheren said.


	12. Chapter 12

The group walked through the forest peacefully. There was a nice silence surrounding them as they took the time to look around.

"Is Striaton really a place you guys need to go?" Cheren asked after a while.

"Not really," Paul shrugged. "But we're going to be traveling across the region looking for these pokémon, so why not."

"It does seem like a sensible thing to do," Cheren said. They lapsed into a silence with Cheren looking at them in thought."When did it happen?" He questioned out of nowhere. Dawn and Paul looked back at him.

"What are you talking about?" Paul huffed.

"The transformation, when and how did it happen?" Cheren clarified.

"Well for me, someone tried to steal my Piplup. I couldn't do anything, but I couldn't lose him. Something hit me, and I thought it was wind. Next thing I knew I was flipping over the thief and punched him so hard he got confused and passed out. When I looked at my reflection I had transformed," Dawn explained.

"My brother Reggie was out getting a new pokémon to take care of. These two pokémon under his care led me outside and trapped me so their trainer could take all the pokémon. I transformed and ran to the house. I knocked down the door and beat up the thief," Paul shrugged. "Come to think of it, when I transformed I felt a burst of wind hit me too."

"Did you feel it for other transformations?" Cheren asked.

"Not really," Dawn said.

"Neither did I," Paul told him.

"Hmmm, I wonder if that 'wind' was just energy washing over you," Cheren hummed, placing a finger on his chin.

"Probably," Paul shrugged. "Is that all?"

"For now," Cheren answered with a small smirk.

"So he has a sense of humor." Paul smirked.

"Is he always like this?" Cheren asked Dawn.

"Oh I don't doubt it." Dawn chuckled. Paul let out a huff and rolled his eyes.

* * *

The three had stopped for lunch.

"Yay!" Tepig cheered as he ran around the little rest site. "Oh wow!" he gasped, seeing a flock of Pidove fly over head. "This is so much better than the lab!"

"Glad you think so," Dawn said.

"What'd he say?" Cheren asked.

"He said that this is better than the lab," Dawn answered.

"That's good," Cheren said. "I would hope that he thinks it's better out here."

"Alright, we should get going," Paul muttered, finishing his soup. Snivy's vines grabbed the bowls and Oshawott washed them with his water gun.

"We could have done that," Dawn said with a laugh.

"This is faster," Snivy told her.

"Tepig, finish your food and we can go, alright?" Cheren told him.

"Kay!" the fire pig pokémon oinked. He walked over to his bowl and was about to dig in when a string came out, grabbing a pellet of food. The string came back out, covering the whole bowl. "Hey!" His shout gained the attention of the trainers and other pokémon.

"What happened?" Cheren asked.

"Food thief!" Tepig shouted, glaring at a bush.

"Oshawott use water gun," Paul ordered. The otter nodded and shot water at the bush. A shadow jumped out, moving to another bush. The stream of water followed it, forcing it out into the open.

"Oh no," Dawn groaned, seeing the tiny yellow spider.

"It's a Joltik," Cheren muttered. Paul held up his watch and it scanned the tiny pokémon.

_Joltik, the Attaching Pokémon. Joltik cling to larger Pokémon, and absorb static electricity, storing the energy in a special pouch._

"Well, at least it doesn't eat people like Galvantula," Dawn muttered.

"Food thief!" Tepig shouted once more. "Make him pay!"

"I'm a girl you pig!" The spider shouted.

"I don't care!" Tepig shouted back. "I want you to pay!"

"Why would you steal Tepig's food?" Cheren asked.

"To eat of course!" Joltik huffed. "It's survival of the fittest!"

"Let's just go," Paul said with a sigh. "It's not like the thing can do much to us, she's harmless."

"Harmless?" Joltik repeated angrily. She shot web at Oshawott trapping him. Lightning flashed around the web, shocking the water type. "I may be the runt of Ma's litter, but I'm the strongest!"

"Fine, you wanna play that way, you little brat," Paul growled. "Oshawott, break free!" The otter pokémon struggled against the bindings, finally snapping them.

"Use Razor Shell!" Paul ordered. The otter ran at the spider, trying to strike it. Joltik jumped back and jumped around, dodging the blow.

"That's strange," Dawn hummed as she and Cheren watched the battle.

"What is?" Cheren asked.

"Joltik is performing like a trained pokémon," Dawn answered. She held up her watch, scanning the tiny spider.

"Bug Bite!" Joltik shouted. Her fangs glowed white and became slightly longer. She lunged at Oshawott, biting his head.

"Throw her off!" Paul ordered. Oshawott shook his head, trying to get the attaching pokémon off. Joltik jumped off and shot an Elctroweb at the otter. Oshawott yelled in pain as he was badly damaged.

"Use razor shell to break the threads!" Paul ordered. The otter took the shell off its chest and cut the string. He glared at Joltik, who glared right back. "Use Water Gun!" Paul ordered. The pokémon obeyed and shot a spray of water at the spider. The spider jumped in the air to avoid it. The water followed her, hitting her mid-air. Joltik flipped around and landed on her back.

"Hey! I'm stuck!" She shouted, moving her little legs.

"You're…stuck?" Oshawott brought a flipper to his mouth to try and cover his laughter, but it was no use. "You're stuck!" he laughed, rolling around on the ground.

"Paul," Dawn called, walking over to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"According to this, Joltik live in caves and deep in the forest in large trees," Dawn told him. "According to the map, there aren't any trees large enough for a Galvantula nest, and there aren't any caves deep enough. Plus, this Joltik is trained."

"I noticed that too," Paul said. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked the Joltik. He walked over to her and picked her up.

"My brothers kicked me out of the nest because they thought I was too weak. And Pa stood by them," Joltik explained. "Then my trainer thought I wasn't strong enough for him and released me in favor of a Woobat."

"That sounds familiar," Dawn smirked, looking at Paul.

"Shut up," Paul muttered. "So, what do you want? Why'd you steal Tepig's food?"

"Yeah! That wasn't nice!" Tepig shouted.

"That's none of your business!" Joltik yelled back. They heard a tiny growling and Cheren smirked.

"Sounds like someone is hungry," he said.

"I am not!" Joltik growled, wiggling out of Paul's grip. She dropped to the ground and scurried away.

"Well I am!" Tepig shouted.

"Someone get him some food," Snivy sighed.


	13. Chapter 13

Dawn smiled as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Finally, we made it to Striaton," she smiled.

"It was a rather long walk," Cheren smiled.

"Where's the gym?" Paul asked. Dawn held up her watch, looking at the screen.

"Ummm…Dawn," Cheren said, holding up his Town Map. "You might want to use this. That way you don't attract attention."

"Then what's the point in having these things?" Dawn sighed, taking the map. "Let's see, the gym isn't that far from here. It should be easy to get to. Oh! It says here that the gym doubles as a café!"

"Great," Paul muttered walking forward. "But, before we do that, I have to do something this time."

"What do you need to do?" Cheren asked.

"Catch the Joltik that's been trailing us," the plum haired boy said with a smirk.

"Let's see, the park is pretty close. Will that work for you?" Dawn asked.

"Should be fine," Paul nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Paul stepped in front of the tree line, looking around. "Come on out," he ordered. When Joltik didn't respond, he held up a pellet of food. A string of web came out to grab the food, but Paul sidestepped it. Joltik came out of the forest and jumped onto his shoulder. "Good girl." he handed the pellet to her and scratched her chin while she ate the food.

"What did ya want?" Joltik questioned.

"To catch you," Paul answered.

"Please, why should I believe you?" Joltik scoffed.

"Guess there's no reason to, but it's your choice," Paul told her.

"Why don't you battle alongside Paul?" Cheren asked.

"That's a great idea," Dawn said.

"How is that a good idea?" Joltik growled.

"Think of it like a trial run," Paul told her. "If you like battling with me, you can stay, but if you don't, you can leave."

"Alright, I think I'll give it a try," Joltik agreed.

"Then let's go to the Pokémon Center so you guys can get ready," Dawn said.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Cheren smiled.

"Fine, but if you put on that damn cheerleader outfit, I will leave," Paul said, glaring at her.

"You're no fun." Dawn pouted.

"You have a cheerleader outfit?" Cheren asked.

"Yeah, I wore it when I cheered for my old traveling partner, Ash," Dawn said.

* * *

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy greeted.

"Welcome!" the pokémon beside her greeted happily.

"What's that?" Dawn asked, taking out her pokédex.

_Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. Audino has incredibly sensitive hearing, using its ears like a radar to pick up even the faintest sounds. __Audino can assess a Pokémon's overall physical condition and mood using its ears._

"Here," Paul said, placing Oshawott's pokéball on the counter. Joltik jumped off his shoulder, sitting next to it. Cheren and Dawn placed their pokéballs down as well.

"Nurse Joy, can Audino heal people as well?" Dawn asked.

"Well, there are a few hospitals that have Audino on staff, but I don't believe they use them for people," Joy told her. "I think their mainly used as assistants."

"Oh." Dawn hummed. "Do you know where I can find an Audino?"

"No, sorry." Joy shook her head. "The Audino are supplied by a nursing school that exclusively teach Audino how to be aides in a Pokémon Center."

"I see." The blunette nodded her head. "Thanks for your help."

"What are you thinking?" Cheren asked.

"I thought having an Audino might be a good idea. It could heal us when we get hurt," Dawn explained.

"So Troublesome isn't as stupid as I thought." Paul smirked.

"What was that?" Dawn shouted, glaring at him.

"Shouldn't you two be trying to get along?" Cheren asked nervously.

"Hey, she's the troublesome one. Did you forget about what happened with the Galvantula?" Paul asked.

"That wasn't really her fault," Cheren muttered.

"Here are your pokémon, good as new," Nurse Joy said, smiling.

"Great!" Dawn smiled. She picked up Snivy's pokéball and released the grass snake into her arms. "Now let's go win you two a badge!"

* * *

"Here it is," Cheren announced, looking up from his map.

"Alright! Let's go!" Joltik ordered.

"Let's get this over with," Paul said, sighing. He opened the door to the building.

"Greetings, I am Cress," A blue haired boy introduced as he approached them. "Are you wishing for a table for three? Or are more people going to join you?"

"Are you the gym leader?" Paul asked.

"One of them, yes," Cress nodded.

"I challenge you to a gym battle," Paul declared. Strangely the entire café seemed to hear him, as everyone got quiet.

"A gym battle huh," A red haired boy said with a giant smile. "Which one of you will we be facing?"

"It's a double battle?" Dawn asked.

"This isn't right," Cheren said. "There are supposed to be three gym leaders and you battle the one you have a disadvantage with. For example if you had a grass type you would battle Chili, the fire type."

"That is how it's supposed to be, yes," Cress nodded. "But our brother Cilan left to travel with a trainer. You have the choice to battle one of us or both of us."

"Are they allowed to do a two-on-two?" Snivy asked.

"Can it be a two-on-two?" Cheren asked.

"For not being able to understand us he sure knows what we're saying," Snivy said.

"I'll say," Dawn agreed.

"Chili?" Cress asked.

"I don't have a problem with it," Chili said.

"Alright, then two-on-two it is," Cress agreed. "Right this way." The back wall opened up, revealing two staircases and a tunnel.

* * *

"This is so unfair," Dawn said sadly. She looked over at the girls that were suddenly in cheer uniforms.

"Troublesome! I swear if you change into that ridiculous cheer outfit of yours I will burn it while you are wearing it!" Paul shouted, glaring at her.

"Fine!" Dawn shouted with a frown. "No need to be so mean."

"Some men don't have any manners," Snivy sighed.

"And he's such a grump, can't he have any fun?" Dawn muttered.

"I heard that," Paul grumbled. "Both of you."

"Paul," Cheren called quietly, tugging on his sleeve. Paul looked over at him and nodded.

"Are you two ready?" Chili asked.

"I am." Cheren nodded, holding up his only pokéball.

"So am I," Paul agreed.

"Then let the battle begin!" The referee declared.

"Make a splash Panpour!"

"Heat's on Pansear!"

"Time to fight Tepig!"

"Joltik, stand by for battle!"

Four of the pokémon appeared on the battlefield in a flash of red light while Joltik jumped off Paul's shoulder.

"So that's Pansear and Panpour," Cheren muttered, taking out his pokédex. "Never seen one in person before."

_Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. Panpour lived in forests long ago, but developed a body that makes it easy to live near water. It does not thrive in dry environments. It can store water in the tufts on its head._

_Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. Pansear lives in caves near volcanoes. The temperature on the tuft on its head can reach__600 degrees__when it's angry._

"Chili, Cress, go all the way, win this battle, hip hooray!" The girls cheered, swinging their pompoms.

"You can do it guys!" Dawn cheered.

"Joltik! Use Electro Web," Paul ordered.

"On it!" Joltik agreed, spitting out the web.

"Dodge!" The gym leaders shouted. Both monkeys jumped out of the way.

"Tepig, use Ember," Cheren ordered.

"Pansear, counter with Flamethrower!" Chili ordered. The two fire attacks collided. The flamethrower pushed past the weaker attack, hitting Tepig.

"Tepig, are you okay?" Cheren asked.

"Fine," Tepig grunted. "But this is still fun."

"He's fine," Paul said lowly.

"Panpour, use scratch," Cress ordered. The water monkey jumped forward, the tip of its paws glowing.

"Joltik, intercept and use Bug Bite!" Paul ordered. Joltik jumped in front of Tepig and rushed forward, blocking him from the attack. Panpour turned, attempting to attack Joltik. The fast spider jumped around, dodging each scratch. She grabbed Panpour's arm, her fangs glowing white. Panpour cried out as it was bit.

"Go Joltik!" Dawn cheered.

"Use thundershock!" Paul ordered. Joltik jumped off of Panpour and quickly shocked him.

"Flamethrower!" Chili ordered. The fire monkey directed the attack at Joltik, who dodged.

"Tackle!" Cheren ordered. The fire pig ran at the fire monkey.

"Dodge it Pansear!" Chili ordered. Pansear jumped out of the way.

"Joltik! Electro web!" Paul shouted. Joltik fired the attack at Pansear, hitting him. The string stuck him to the arena floor.

"Pansear no!" Chili gasped. The cheerleaders above gasped and muttered worriedly.

"Ember!" Cheren ordered. Tepig nodded and aimed the attack at the trapped monkey.

"Pansear is no longer able to battle!" The referee announced.

"Good job Pansear." Chili sighed, returning the pokémon.

"One down," Paul said.

"One to go," Cheren finished.

"You can do it Cress," Chili cheered.

"Panpour, it's up to you." Cress told him.

"Right! I'll do it!" Panpour said.

"Use water gun!" Cress ordered. Panpour let out a shout and aimed the attack at the pig pokémon. Tepig squealed as it was struck.

"That wasn't fun…" he groaned.

"Tepig is no longer able to battle," the referee shouted.

"Is Tepig okay?" Dawn shouted.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Cheren nodded, retuning his pokémon.

"Water versus electric," Paul muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Use mud sport Panpour!" Cress ordered. Panpour nodded.

"Dodge it!" Paul ordered. Panpour's hands glowed red as he raised them above his head. He slammed them onto the ground and a wave of mud rushed towards Joltik. Joltik jumped to the side trying to dodge it. The wave of mud hit Joltik, knocking her back. The spider jumped up and shook her body, trying to fling off the mud.

"I'm gonna give you a big shock for that!" Joltik growled.

"Electric moves aren't effective anymore," Paul told her. "Use bug bite!"

"Alright then!" Joltik sighed. She leapt forward, her fangs glowing white.

"Now use double team!" Several copies of Panpour appeared on the field, surrounding Joltik. The spider came to stop looking at all the copies.

"Go Cress!" The cheerleaders cheered, waving their pompoms.

"You can do it Joltik." Dawn shouted from the balcony

"Paul," Cheren muttered.

"I know," the trainer said.

"Use scratch," Cress ordered. The Panpour rushed forward, trying to scratch at the spider.

"Dodge it and use string shot to take them out!" Paul ordered. Joltik jumped back and forth to avoid the attacks. She used string shot and hit the water monkeys. The copies disappeared. The real Panpour jumped up to avoid being hit. He flipped through the air and landed on some sticky string.

"Panpour!" Cress gasped.

"Bug bite," Paul ordered with a smirk.

"This fight is over!" Joltik shouted. She latched onto Panpour, biting his head. Panpour let out a yell and fell back, knocked out.

"Panpour is unable to battle, so the victors are the challengers Paul and Cheren!"The referee declared.

"Alright!" Cheren cheered.

"You did it!" Dawn laughed, clapping.

"Not bad," Snivy agreed. Paul crouched down as Joltik scurried over to him.

"What do you say?" he asked, holding out a pokéball.

"Alright, I'll travel with ya," Joltik agreed. Paul opened the pokéball and caught the spider.

* * *

"And now we present both of you with the trio badge." Cress smiled. They both held out two trays. A badge was sitting snuggly in the cushion.

"Congratulations." Dawn smiled. "You guys had a great battle."

"Better than that pathetic trainer you used to travel with, that's for sure," Paul muttered. He pocketed the badge. Dawn chuckled nervously, choosing not to comment.

"Thank you," Cheren bowed and placed his badge in his case.

"It was our pleasure," Chili said.

"Hope you come back soon," Cress said.

"Should we head to the next town?" Cheren asked.

"Actually, I heard one of the girls talk about a mysterious pokémon in the Dreamyard, just outside of Striaton," Dawn said.

"Think it could be a legendary?" Paul asked.

"It's worth a look," Dawn said.

"Alright, then we'll rest up and head out tomorrow," Cheren suggested.

"Deal," Paul agreed.


	14. Chapter 14

The trio arrived at the Dreamyard. The place was in ruin, and vines were growing over the crumbling walls. The walls arched up, and the glass ceiling of the dome was shattered.

"Where would we even begin searching in a place like this?" Dawn asked, looking around. Wild pokémon that were in the area scattered as the trainers got closer.

"We just have to start," Paul said. A golden light surrounded him and he transformed. Dawn followed his lead and transformed as well. "You look over there and I'll look over here." The two split up.

Cheren looked around nervously and sighed. He walked over to a rock and brushed the dirt off of it. He set his bag down and pulled a small laptop out of it.

Dawn peered through a hole in the wall, looking for anything that could be suspicious. She walked away from it and continued her search.

Paul used razor shell and cut down a few vines, searching for any hidden places that a pokémon could hide.

"This would be a lot easier if we knew what to look for," Dawn sighed. She saw a Pidove resting on top of the glass. "Excuse me!" She called, catching its attention.

"Yes?" it asked.

"I was just wondering if you've seen any mysterious pokémon here," Dawn said.

"My flock and I just got here last night," Pidove said, shaking his head.

"Alright, thanks anyway," Dawn told him. The Pidove cooed and flew off.

"I think I found something that might help!" Cheren shouted. Dawn and Paul ran over to him and looked at his laptop. He was on a news site looking at an article from several years ago. "I was looking into the history of the Dreamyard to see if I could get any hints. According to this news article there was an explosion here several years ago. It came from the Pokémon Energy Laboratory. They were using a Musharna's Dream Mist to research a cleaner energy source. According to one of the surviving scientists, a woman named Fennel, some people tried to take Musharna for their own purposes. Their evil desires corrupted Musharna and the Dream Mist, causing an explosion. Afterwards, Musharna was nowhere to be found."

"Musharna?" Dawn asked. Cheren pulled up another page and showed her the pokémon. It was a large pokémon with a purple body and a pink head. Its stubby limbs were a dark pink. There was a pink circle on its forehead. In another picture a pink mist was coming out of its forehead. "It looks cute!"

"What's Dream Mist?" Paul asked.

"I couldn't find a clear answer but from what I did find it seems to be a mist that Musharna, or its pre-evolved form, Munna, expels when they 'eat' a dream. It changes color depending on the dream but it's mostly a dark pink color," Cheren told them.

"So the mysterious pokémon we're looking for could be a Musharna?" Paul asked.

"I don't know, I could keep looking into more recent things, see if it's ever been found," Cheren suggested.

"Do it, we'll keep looking," Paul said. He walked away from them, resuming the search.

* * *

"I found something else," Cheren announced. "A few days ago a Kanto-based organization stirred up trouble here. The activity woke up Musharna and it was returned to Fennel. But the organization escaped arrest."

"What organization was it?" Dawn asked.

"Team…Rocket," Cheren answered.

"Team Rocket's here?" Dawn gasped. She slumped forward and groaned.

"Oh yeah, they were after that pathetic trainer's Pikachu, weren't they?" Paul muttered.

"Hey, Ash is a great trainer!" Dawn shouted. "If you'll remember he beat you in the Sinnoh League!"

"How could I forget," Paul said, rolling his eyes. Paul looked out a broken window and narrowed his eyes.

"I just can't believe how cruel you can be! And not just to people! Do you even know _how_ to be nice?" Dawn shouted.

"Troublesome!" Paul snapped, glaring at her. He placed a finger over his mouth and turned back to the window. Dawn growled, her fists shaking at her side. "Come on," Paul said after a moment. He began running towards the entrance. Dawn ran after him.

"What'd you see?" Cheren asked, joining them.

"Look," Paul muttered, pointing at a group of pokémon. They were talking urgently, their arms waving. The pokémon had looks of distress on their faces.

"They're worried about something," Dawn muttered. "A hurt pokémon. They don't have enough berries to feed it. And its growing weaker."

"How can you tell?" Cheren asked.

"I can feel it," Dawn whispered, placing a hand over her heart. "I can feel their emotions. They're in distress. Paul, we have to do something."

"What will that accomplish?" Paul hissed. "I know you want to help every living thing you meet but we also have a job."

"I know, but it won't interfere, and besides, the mysterious pokémon was most likely Musharna, who is gone. We're basically done right now! Why can't we help! It's also our job to help pokémon," Dawn told him. Paul huffed and shook his head.

"I'm going to regret this," he muttered. Dawn face lit up and she smiled, jumping in place.

"Thank you!" She squeaked in happiness, trying not to squeal and giggle. She jumped in effort to resist hugging him.

"Let's just go," Paul grumbled. The trio approached the group of pokémon who yelped and scurried away at the sight of them.

"Hey wait!" Dawn shouted, trying to stop them. "We heard your problem, we wanna help!" A small gray furred pokémon stopped. He had large ears with white tips. He also had a fluffy gray tail. He turned around and looked at them in confusion.

"You can understand us?" he asked.

"Uh, kinda," Dawn nodded. "I was too far away earlier so I didn't hear exactly what you were saying, but…I can sense a pokémon's emotions. I can tell what you're saying almost perfectly. But right now, you're speaking to me as if you knew how to talk like a person."

"How?" the small pokémon asked.

"I…I was born being able to," Dawn told him. "I-I'm a-!"

"We're Legend Catchers," Paul told the pokémon.

The pokémon perked. "Legend Catchers? You're really Legend Catchers?"

"Yeah," Dawn nodded.

"Then you can help!" the pokémon cheered. "Follow me!" he turned towards the building and ran to it. He stopped in front of a large boulder. "Right here! Right here! You gotta move the boulder!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Dawn asked.

"Attack it I guess, we don't have any pokémon that know Strength," Paul muttered. "But what are we going to use? We've got weak pokémon they won't be able to do much."

"What do you have to do?" Cheren asked.

"Move the boulder," Dawn answered.

"Is something wrong?" the gray furred pokémon asked.

"N-No! Nothing's wrong…uh…" Dawn trailed off, not sure how to address the pokémon.

"Minccino," the pokémon supplied.

"Right, nothing's wrong Minccino," Dawn told him. "We just don't have strong pokémon."

"Oh, I see." Minccino frowned.

"Troublesome, doesn't Snivy know Vine Whip?" Paul asked. Dawn looked down at her hands and gasped.

"Great idea!" Dawn smiled. She held out her hands. Vines shot out of her wrists and wrapped around the boulder. "Now how do I cross them right?" Dawn muttered to herself. The vines seemed to move nervously through the air, figuring out where to go.

"Can you pull the boulder?" Cheren asked. Both Paul and Dawn looked at him blankly, causing the new trainer to sweat drop.

"You've forgotten who you're talking to," Paul muttered.

"We're new at this, and haven't had a proper training session yet," Dawn said. "Oh! I got it!" Two more vines sprouted from her wrists. They wrapped around the two vines, creating a makeshift ladder. She grabbed the vines and pulled on them. She backed up, twisting the ends together. She wrapped the vines around a small rock and pulled on it to make sure it was sturdy. She shot out two more vines to turn the ladder into a bridge.

"Good job," Paul nodded. He stepped onto the bridge and pulled himself up. Cheren followed him. Once Dawn was on the boulder as well Minccino cheered.

"You did it!" he smiled, clapping his paws.

"Where's the injured pokémon?" Dawn asked.

"This way!"

* * *

The forest around them was dense and thick. Thankfully Minccino kept them to a barely visible path, allowing them a bit easier travel. Minccino stopped at a set of three crumbling walls with a staircase leading into the ground.

"In here!" Minccino said, running down the steps. The trio walked down the steps, looking around. Minccino ran over to a group of pokémon who were crowding around something. "Hey! Guys! HEY!" the pokémon shouted, getting the horde's attention. "These guys can help them!" The pokémon turned to look at Dawn, Paul, and Cheren.

"Hi," Cheren greeted nervously.

"We're Legend Catchers," Paul announced. The pokémon broke out into whispers and slowly broke apart, revealing two injured pokémon.

"Latias and Latios." Dawn gasped. She ran over to them and kneeled next to the eon pokémon. "How did they get here?"

"They were migrating," a Herdier told them. "They got swept up in the thunderstorm and were shot out of the sky by lightning."

"Poor things," Dawn cooed, stroking their fur.

"What do we do?" Cheren asked. Paul kneeled next to the pokémon and took in their singed fur.

"Paul, do you think Reggie would know something to help them?" Dawn asked.

"I'm trying to think." Paul muttered, closing his eyes. "They're weak and Oran berries won't cut it. They need some Sitrus berries. And either Rawst or Lum berries."

"We'll search for the Sitrus berries," Minccino suggested. A group of Minccino ran out of the basement.

"We'll try to find one of the others," A Liepard offered, leading some Purloins out as well.

"What do we do until they return?" Dawn asked. She looked at the two pokémon in worry. "We can't just let them lie here in pain. It hurts." Latios twitched in his sleep and whimpered. Dawn hugged Latios's head and stroked his muzzle. "They're in so much pain."

"Perhaps we could take them to the Pokémon Center," Cheren suggested.

"Too big of a risk," Paul denied. "They're legendary pokémon someone could try to hurt them or even worse."

"What if we wait until night?" Dawn asked. "Not very many people will be up, and I'm sure Nurse Joy would keep them a secret. She'd want to keep them safe! She'd be able to stop this pain." Dawn bowed her head and bit her lip, trying not to cry. "It hurts."

"Are you okay?" A Patrat asked, tapping her knee.

"I don't know," Dawn confessed. "The only time I've felt this much pain was when Team Galactic controlled Mesprit."

"Dawn, what exactly is your power?" Cheren asked.

"Emotion, I can feel a pokémon's emotion." Dawn answered. "That's what the Seloins did."

"You have empathy, so that must be it. You can feel the pain that they're in." Cheren reasoned.

"It's in your head, troublesome, it's just emotion, you're not in any pain," Paul told her.

"R-Right," Dawn nodded. She lifted her head and turned to Latias. "Latias seems to be in the most pain."

"We haven't been able to go near her," the Patrat told her. "Whenever we tried Latios would attack us. He finally passed out a few hours ago."

"She must have gotten the brunt of the lightning," Paul reasoned.

"We have the berries!" Minccino shouted, running into the basement. Two of the Minccino set down a large leaf that had a few Sitrus berries.

"How do we get them to eat them?" Cheren asked. "They're hard."

"Set them down," Dawn ordered. Cheren did as he was told and placed them in a small pile. Dawn held out her hand, which glowed green. "Leaf Tornado!" Leaves flew out of her hand and hit the berries, cutting them up.

"Water gun!" Paul shouted. He held out his hand. A blue orb appeared and water gushed out of it, soaking the berries. The berries softened. Dawn picked them up and held them to Latias's mouth. The red eon pokémon groaned weakly and nudged the berry, but didn't take it.

"Looks like we wait until night to take them to the Pokémon Center," Paul sighed.

* * *

Cheren hurried towards the Pokémon Center. He glanced to the side of the building, squinting at the side of the building. Paul turned towards him and nodded at him. Cheren entered the building with the red roof. He looked around, seeing only one other trainer out. He approached the desk and rang the buzzer that called for Nurse Joy. After a moment the pink-haired nurse came up, smiling.

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asked.

"There are a few injured pokémon outside, but we can't let anyone see them," Cheren told her. "It's a Latias and Latios. And we don't want someone to come after them."

"I see," Nurse Joy hummed. "There is a back entrance that I'm sure can fit them. It's behind the building, bring your friends there."

"Thank you," Cheren smiled. He ran out of the building and towards Paul.

"Well?" He asked.

"Nurse Joy said we can use the back entrance," Cheren said. Paul turned towards the forest and whistled. The forest pokémon came out, struggling to carry two stretchers made out of vines and twigs. Dawn was in front, leading them towards the building.

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy gasped, opening the door and seeing the two eon pokémon. She ran back inside and fetched two stretchers. Her Audino used psychic to lift the pokémon on the stretcher.

"Thank you for your help," Dawn told the forest pokémon.

"Wait! I wanna know that they'll be alright!" Minccino said. He climbed up Dawn, resting on her shoulder.

"Alright," Dawn agreed, scratching his ear.

"They're going to be fine," Nurse Joy announced. "A little rest and they'll be back to normal."

"That's a relief," Dawn sighed.

"You did a good job of keeping them healthy until you got here," Nurse Joy praised.

"It was nothing," Paul muttered. "It's our job to protect pokémon."

"Well thank goodness that you're here," Nurse Joy smiled. "You're welcome to go in and see them if you'd like."

"Thank you," Cheren told her. The nurse smiled once more and left them to tend to other pokémon. Dawn entered the room and looked at the pokémon.

"Do you think we should stay until they wake up?" Dawn asked.

"It would probably be for the best," Paul nodded. Dawn sat down between the two beds. She groaned and rubbed her head.

"Being transformed for this long is tiring," she muttered.

"Yeah," Paul agreed. He sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll wake up soon and you can turn back," Cheren told them. Minccino jumped onto Dawn's shoulders and rubbed against her cheek.

"Thanks Minccino," she giggled, scratching his ear. Latios shifted on the bed, catching their attention. He opened his eyes and jerked, looking around in fright.

"Hey, it's alright," Dawn cooed, holding out her hands. She took a step towards him, stopping when the Eon pokémon growled. Paul straightened up, readying for an attack if necessary.

"Don't," Cheren said, trying to push him back.

"These guys helped you!" Minccino said. "They're Legend Catchers! They protect pokémon! They wouldn't hurt you." Latios glanced at the chinchilla pokémon before looking around, staring at Latias. He called softly, nudging his female counterpart. Latias whimpered and twitched in her sleep. She opened her eyes and looked around, lifting her head.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You were injured," Dawn answered. "We took you to the pokémon center."

"Who are you?" Latias asked.

"We're Legend Catchers," Paul answered.

"I thought they were all dead," Latios said, speaking up for the first time.

"No, we're the last ones," Dawn said.

"You carry a huge burden for ones so young," Latias said.

"It's our job," Paul said.

"How are you guys feeling?" Dawn asked.

"Ready to leave," Latios said.

"Are you alright?" Dawn asked Latias.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm ready to fly as well."

* * *

"Thank you for all your help." Latias bowed her head and nuzzled against Dawn.

"It was our pleasure." Dawn stroked her chin and giggled.

"Dawn." Paul nudged her waist and held out his crystal pokéball. Dawn gasped and held out her hand. The pokéball appeared. The two turned towards the eon pokémon.

"Will you allow us to call on you if we need it?" Dawn asked.

"Of course, right brother?" Latias turned towards her brother and nudged him.

"If you insist." Latios bowed his head and tapped Paul's pokéball. Latias did the same with Dawn. They were sucked into the pokéballs. After a few moments the pokéball flashed golden color and the two pokémon were released.

"Thank you for all your help." Latios flew into the sky, Latias behind him.

"You two did great today." Cheren turned back to his traveling partners to find them leaning against each other, back in their normal forms.

"We may…have to…stay here…a while…" Paul panted and shook his head, trying to stay awake. Cheren rushed forward and grabbed the two of them before they could pass out.


	15. Chapter 15

Dawn stretched her arms above her head, grunting as she heard her shoulders pop. "I never want to be transformed for that long again."

"I agree." Paul covered his mouth as he yawned.

"Do you mean you two still haven't recovered?" Cheren looked at the two of them with worry.

"We've recovered, we're just still tired," Paul said.

"I'm shocked, you two were out for over a whole day. You should be rested up."

"We're still new to this. Being transformed for that long without training takes a lot out of us." Paul jerked his head, cracking his neck. Dawn pulled off her bag and took out her journal. She flipped through the pages, before settling on one.

"According to the book my dad left me, being transformed for too long is actually harmful. And not just for us." Paul looked over at her as she turned the page. "We're taking energy from our pokémon, and not just energy for attacks. The number of pokémon and training we have actually affects our time. We have to train in endurance and catch stronger pokémon that don't tire easily. Or at least that's what's suggested. Befriending an electric type legendary pokémon can improve our time as well."

"Then I have an edge with Joltik." Paul reached into his bag and pulled out his journal as well.

"How much of those things have you guys read?" Cheren looked at the journals in interest.

"The basics so far," Paul said.

"Not much." Dawn looked guilty as she admitted her progress. "My dad just gets really technical about these things and it's a little hard to understand. He writes things down like he's a scientist."

"You two are the ones that are entrusted to protect the world." Cheren nodded to himself before gulping. "I'm starting to get nervous."

"Hey!" The two catchers hit him with their books.

"We'll get better with more training!" Dawn said.

"Let's train now." Paul stopped and looked off to the side, finding a small clearing.

"Us or our pokémon?" Dawn asked.

"Both," Paul answered with a smirk.

* * *

"Alright, it's Oshawott vs. Snivy!" Cheren declared.

"Snivy? Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Snivy glared at the otter pokémon in front of her.

"Oshawott, let's not waste any time!"

"Alright!" Oshawott smiled as he leaned forward, ready to fight.

"Begin!"

"Oshawott use water gun!" Water shot out of the pokémon's mouth.

"Spin and use vine whip to deflect it!" Vines shot out of Snivy's neck. She spun around quickly, using the vines to neutralize the attack.

"Did you see that Paul? I'm gonna show you just how intense contest battles are!" Dawn smirked and leaned forward. "Snivy! Use leaf storm." Snivy threw her arm forward. Glowing leaves appeared and went straight for Oshawott.

"Dodge it!" Paul ordered. The otter pokémon shouted as he ran away from the leaves, trying to escape them.

"Leaf storm again!" Dawn commanded. Snivy spun, and threw her arms out, like she was conducting an orchestra. The leaves followed her every move, chasing Oshawott.

"Use razor shell to block!" Oshawott grabbed his shell and held it out. A blue aura surrounded the scalchop and extending, hardening until it became a blade. He swung the blade, knocking away the leaves.

"Tackle!" Dawn shouted. Snivy ran through the leaves, heading straight for Oshawott.

"Dodge it!" Oshawott jumped out of the way as Snivy charged. "Now use razor shell!" The otter swung his blade, striking Snivy.

"Snivy!" Dawn gasped. The snake pokémon hissed as she got back up.

"Battle over!" Cheren shouted. They turned to him in shock. "You don't want them to use up all of their energy do you? How else will you train?"

"Good point." Snivy walked over to Dawn. The blunette picked her up and smiled.

"You battled great."

"You did good," Paul said to Oshawott.

"Thanks!"

"What do you have to say about contest battle style, Paul?" Dawn asked.

"Still pathetic," Paul said. Dawn and Snivy glared at him.

"Come on now, why don't we heal up your pokémon and get started on your training." Cheren said nervously.

"Alright, are you ready?" Cheren asked.

"Ready!" Tepig oinked in happiness. Embers flew out of his snout.

"Let's just start training." Paul rolled his shoulder back.

"Alright Tepig, use ember!" Tepig cheered and fired the move at the two. Dawn and Paul jumped away, dodging the attack.

"String shot!" Paul shot the attack towards Dawn. The girl shrieked and ran out of the way, dodging the webs.

"Leaf storm!" She sent a storm of leaves to intercept the sticky string.

"Thundershock!" Dawn screamed and slid to the ground to avoid the attack.

"How are you so good already?" Dawn jumped up and dodged another attack.

"I'm a natural," Paul said with a smirk.

"That's not fair!" Dawn shouted, swinging a vine at him. Paul knocked it back with string shot.

"Paul also has the advantage with two pokémon," Cheren said. Dawn shrieked as a Thundershock flew right in front of her. The three trainers paused when they heard a scream.

"Shit." Paul cursed under his breath. He and Dawn returned to normal and ran into the forest, finding a small pokémon.

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked, picking it up. Paul held up his watch and scanned it.

_Patrat u__se food stored in their cheek pouches, so they can keep watch for days. They use their tails to communicate with others._

"Ow…" Patrat groaned.

"Patrat!" A boy shouted, running up to them. He had his hair held back by a green bandana. He wore a green apron over his clothes.

"Is this your Patrat?" Cheren asked.

"No, I'm taking care of it," he said. "I work at a pokémon day care and this Patrat kinda ran off."

"I'm sorry Patrat got hurt," Dawn said.

"Don't be, it wasn't you're fault. I should have kept a better eye on him." The young man looked at the Patrat and sighed.

"Do you want some help?" Cheren asked.

"Really? You would help me?" He asked.

"Sure, it's the least we could do." Dawn agreed.

"I'm not helping," Paul said.

"That's fine, we can do fine on our own," Dawn said.

* * *

The young man, who they learned was named Emmet, worked not that far away. As it turned out, they were actually training on the property of the day care center.

"There you are Emmet, did you find Patrat?" An elderly woman asked.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Such a good boy." She hummed.

"Actually, they found him first," Emmet confessed, gesturing to the three trainers.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dawn." Dawn smiled as she bowed politely.

"My name is Cheren." He bowed as well.

"Paul." He crossed his arms and glared into the distance.

"I'm Caroline," the elderly woman smiled.

"Dawn and Cheren have offered to help us," Emmet said.

"You didn't force them, did you?" Caroline looked at Emmet suspiciously.

"No, we volunteered," Cheren said.

"We kinda felt guilty. We were training and a stray attack hit Patrat." Dawn explained.

"I feel fine though! Honest!" Patrat said.

"Well he looks to be fine." Caroline said. "Why don't you kids come in and have some tea before you help out."

* * *

Dawn looked over at a few Lillipup that were looking at her in curiosity.

"Can we help you with something?" Paul huffed, noticing the pokémon as well. The Lillipup flinched and herded together, looking at him in fear.

"Paul! Don't be so mean to them," Dawn said, glaring at them.

"Don't mind them, they're a curious bunch," Caroline told them.

"Are you new workers here?" one of the Lillipups asked. Her voice was tiny and slightly growly.

"No, we're just here to help out for the day," Dawn told them.

"So Caroline and David are still going to take care of us?" She asked.

"Yep," Dawn said with a smile.

"And Emmet?" another asked.

"He's staying too," Dawn said.

"That's good! We like them! They take really good care of us!" The Lillipups cheered.

"So what are they talking about?" An elderly man asked, setting down a tray of tea and snacks.

"It's nothing to worry about," Dawn said, standing up. She sat down on one of the couches and accepted a cup of tea.

"So I heard you gave Patrat quite the shock," David said.

"We were training and an attack missed the target," Paul said.

"I see. Well, accidents happen, and Patrat's fine now. His trainer isn't going to pick him up for another few days, so everything'll be fine," David assured them.

"I'm glad Patrat is fine." Dawn sipped her tea and smiled.

"Yes, so are we. This Patrat tends to get into some trouble. His owner is coming to pick him up today," Emmet said. They suddenly heard crying.

"That's our cue." Caroline set down her drink and stood up. "Dawn, dear, would you like to help me? The younger pokémon can become such a handful."

"Sure." Dawn stood up and followed her up the stairs.

"Well, it's time for me to get back to work too," Emmet said.

"If you don't mind, I could help you," Cheren suggested.

"Thanks, I could use all the help I could get." Emmet smiled and lead him outside. David turned towards Paul and smiled.

"So what do you do?" Paul asked.

"We'll be taking care of the pokémon that are here specifically to train," David said.

"Perfect," Paul said with a smirk.

* * *

"Our job is to keep the young ones entertained," Caroline said.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Dawn said.

"You would think, but we also have to keep them out of trouble," Caroline said to her. A Lillipup ran around her, barking. "And that's where it gets hard."

"It shouldn't be that hard." Dawn laugh, picking up the Lillipup. "I have a few curious pokémon too. No need to worry!"

"If you say so." Caroline searched through some cupboards and Dawn looked at the pokémon in her arms.

"Now, why were you yelling?" Dawn asked.

"It was Sewaddle!" An Emolga said. Dawn looked around and spotted the pokémon. Sewaddle was sniffing and trying to hold back his tears. Dawn set down Lillipup and approached the sewing pokémon.

"Sewaddle, what happened?" Dawn asked.

"I-I was t-tyring to reach a toy and I fell." Sewaddle sniffed.

"He fell on his head and tore his hood," Emolga said. Dawn looked at the leaf and saw that it was torn down the center.

"Poor thing." Dawn hummed and picked up Sewaddle, looking at the leaf on his head.

"M-Mama made my hood. I said I would take care of it while I was here. N-Now it's ruined." Sewaddle sniffed and cried.

"Oh my, what happened to your hood Sewaddle?" Caroline asked, noticing the commotion.

"He was trying to reach a toy and fell," Dawn said.

"Poor thing," Caroline said with a hum. She took Sewaddle from Dawn and rocked the pokémon.

* * *

"Hey there Zebstrika," Emmet said. He rubbed Zebstrika's snout.

"So what are we supposed to be doing?" Cheren asked.

"We're feeding the pokémon." Emmet grabbed a bag of pokémon food and carried it to the yard. "Grab the bowls." Cheren nodded and grabbed the food bowls, setting them down. Emmet opened the bag of pokémon food and the pokémon lounging around slowly got up and walked over to them. Emmet filled up each bowl with a cup of food and Cheren placed a bowl in front of each of them.

"After their done eating, we have to groom them," Emmet said. "It's actually an easy job. But they can get pretty rough and rowdy if you move to quickly. You have to stick to the schedule, but you also have to go by their schedule."

"Just seems to me that you have to get a feel for each pokémon." Cheren stroked a Sawsbuck.

* * *

"Bring it on!" Sawk shouted, punching his hand with his fist. A Throh let out a battle cry and charged at the karate pokémon. They collided and pushed against each other.

"I'm guessing those two are fine to continue," Paul said, pointing at them.

"Throh has been training since he hatched. He's a good sparring partner for everyone," David said. He sat down on a bench and watched the pokémon battle each other. "They mostly train themselves, we just have to sit back and tend to them when they get hurt."

"Sounds boring." Paul muttered. He heard various attacks being called out by the many pokémon.

"It isn't really active, but seeing these pokémon battle and train reminds me of when I was a young trainer. It's nice." Paul glanced at David. The elderly man was smiling brightly, watching the pokémon with intensity. Paul turned back to the battles and focused his mind on other things.

* * *

Dawn hummed as she rushed through the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Paul asked, entering the kitchen. He leaned against the island and picked up chopped berry, taking it.

"Hey! Don't take those!" Dawn shouted. "I need those."

"Which brings me back to my question," Paul said.

"Sewaddle tore his leaf and is really upset. I thought I'd make a treat to cheer him up." Dawn dropped the fruit into the boiling pot and stirred. Paul took out his pokédex and searched through it.

"Says that he should just make a new one."

"Yeah, but his mom made it for him and he promised to take care of it," Dawn said. She took the pot off the stove and grabbed a tray mold. She started pouring the batter into the mold. "Where's Cheren?"

"Hell if I know," Paul said. "He decided to help the kid."

"He's not a kid," Dawn said as she pushed the tray into the oven.

"Do you consider yourself a kid anymore?" Paul asked.

"I haven't been, not since I started my journey," Dawn said. "When did you stop considering yourself to be a kid?"She turned around to face him and smiled.

"I don't know. Didn't really think about it." Paul answered with a shrug.

"Are you seriously going to be like this the whole time we're here?" Dawn asked, setting her hands on her hips.

"To be honest, I'd rather be heading towards the next city and completing our job. I don't want to waste time," Paul said, glaring at her. Dawn glared back at him.

"Well guess what, you're not the only person on this team. I want to get this done too. But I also want to have a little fun."

"Things like this will only get in our way," Paul said.

"Ugh, you're such a downer." Dawn muttered.

Carolina walked down the stairs, the baby pokémon following her.

"What is that delicious smell?" she asked.

"I'm making some poffins!" Dawn said. "They're a pokémon treat from Sinnoh. I thought it might cheer Sewaddle up."

"That was sweet of you," Caroline said with a smile. "How about we have some juice to go with them?" The pokémon cheered at the idea of juice and poffins.

"I still don't get how something so simple can cheer you guys up," Paul said.

"Newborn pokémon enjoy the simpler things in life." Caroline smiled at him. Paul sighed and shook his head. The timer dinged and Dawn smiled, pulling the tray of poffins out of the oven.

"All done!" The baby pokémon cheered and crowded around her. "Alright alright, just hold on!" She laughed. She took the poffins out of the mold and placed them on a plate. Emolga flew through the air and swooped down and grabbed one. "Hey! Put that back now!"

"I won't eat it! Promise!" Emolga said, landing on the floor. Dawn crouched down and offered the plate. Each pokémon grabbed one. They took a bite, cheering.

"Lillipup? What's wrong?" Dawn asked, noticing how he was frowning.

"It's too sweet," he said. "But I don't want to be rude, so I'll eat it."

"That's perfectly fine." Dawn told him. "Pokemon have different tastes. To be honest I didn't expect all of you to like them. What do you like?"

"Umm...I like things a little bitter." Dawn stood up and looked through the berries.

"How about a rawst berry?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah!" Dawn gave him the berry and he ate it happily.

"How are you feeling?" Dawn asked Sewaddle.

"Better. I'm still a little sad though," he said.

"Why don't you make a new hood?" Paul asked.

"We'll be going into the forest later to find a new leaf for him," Caroline said.

"That's great Sewaddle!" Dawn smiled.

"Thank you," Sewaddle backed away in embarrassment.

* * *

After a long day of work Dawn, Paul, and Cheren were ready to leave.

"I want to thank you for all the help you gave us today," David said.

"It was no problem," Dawn said with a smile.

"Nonsense, you went out of your way to help us," Caroline said, smiling at her.

"I got what you asked for," Emmet said. He held out an egg that was white and green.

"It's a pokémon egg," Cheren said in amazement.

"I would like to give this egg to you, Dawn," Caroline said.

"You want me to have it?" Dawn asked.

"Call it a gift. You were so good with the children today, I just know you'll be the perfect trainer to take care of this egg," Caroline said.

"Truth be told we've had this egg for a few weeks," David said. "The trainer declined keeping it, so we wanted to find a perfect trainer for it."

"And I'm sure you'll be the perfect trainer," Caroline said.

"Do you want it?" Emmet asked. Dawn looked at the egg in his arms and nodded, taking it.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to take good care of it," Dawn said.

"If that's all, we need to get going," Paul said.

"Thanks for letting us help," Cheren said.

"Oh, we're the ones who should be thanking you," David said.

"Have a safe journey," Caroline said.

"We will!" Dawn replied. The three turned around, Dawn cradling her new egg.

"Dawn, you have an important job to do," Cheren said. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"It's her choice," Paul said. "If she wants to take on the burden of a pokémon egg, then let her. She'll have to deal with the consequences."

"Can't you hear it Paul?" Dawn asked.

"Hear what?" Paul asked, looking at her.

"The egg, it called out to me," Dawn said.

"You can hear the pokémon already?" Cheren asked.

"Yeah, I can't explain it," Dawn said. "It was the same when I got Cyndaquill's egg, and when Brock got Happiny's egg. I could always hear them. Do you not hear it?"

"I don't hear anything," Pail said.

"Maybe it's something exclusive to Dawn," Cheren suggested. "It might have something to do with her empathic nature."

"I'll look for something in my dad's journal when we stop tonight," Dawn said. She held the egg closer and rubbed her cheek against it. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. And when you hatch I'll make you some nice poffins, you'll just love them."


	16. Chapter 16

Dawn yawned as she woke up. She stretched in her sleeping bag, trying not to kick Snivy, who was curled up next to her. She rolled onto her side and opened her eyes, seeing the pokémon egg. She smiled and sat up, gently holding the egg.

"Good morning." She greeted, kissing the egg. Snivy yawned and stretched her body, standing up.

"Morning Dawn," Snivy said,

"Morning." Dawn placed the egg down and prepared for the day.

* * *

"So, where to next?" Dawn asked.

"The next gym is located in Nacrene City," Cheren said, looking at his town map. "If we keep going on this route we'll reach it soon."

"How soon?" Paul asked.

"If I had to guess, probably a few days, a week at most," Cheren said. "But, is there anywhere we need to stop first?"

"Let me see," Dawn said, holding up her watch. A holographic screen appeared with a ringing phone icon. After a few rings Emi picked up.

"Hey Dawn, what's up?" Emi asked.

"We're on Route 3 right now. We were wondering if there's anything you needed us to do," Dawn said.

"We don't have anything that would lead us to route 3," Emi said. "Oh, but there is a small city nearby. Apparently they were having trouble with a bell tower. I think it would be good exposure if you checked on the tower keepers. Those poor pokémon used up a lot of energy trying to keep the bell tower from collapsing."

"What kind of pokémon are guarding the tower?" Paul asked.

"Two Darumaka and a Darmanitan," Emi said. "Darmanitan used up the most energy. Besides, I'm sure they wouldn't object to a battle, you could get some training in while you're there."

"Does that sound good?" Dawn asked.

"Sounds fine to me," Paul said. "Let's get going."

"Great," Emi said with a smile. "I'll be waiting for your report."

"Report?" Dawn asked.

"Of course, you didn't expect to do missions like these and not have to submit a report, did you?" Emi asked.

"I can say that I honestly thought we wouldn't have to," Dawn said.

"Don't worry, you can just call me and tell me what happened," Emi told her. She looked off screen for a moment before turning back to Dawn. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Dawn and Emi said goodbye and the call ended. The screen quickly turned to a map with a marker for the city in question.

"That's not too far," Cheren said.

"We'll arrive at lunch, stay the night and leave in the morning," Paul said.

"That sounds like a good plan," Dawn agreed, lowering her arm.

* * *

Dawn bit her lip as she saw Cheren walk into the town. He was holding her egg. Dawn jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Calm down troublesome," Paul said with a sigh. "He's not gonna let anything happen to your egg."

"I know," Dawn said, sighing as well. She fidgeted and quickly turned around, watching the town entrance. "But she hasn't even been born yet."

"Geez," Paul sighed. He gently hit her head and walked toward the entrance. "Come on troublesome."

"Don't hit me!" Dawn shouted, running after him. "And my name is Dawn! Use it sometime, you jerk!"

* * *

The two walked through the town, looking around. It seemed like the place was set up for a festival.

"What's with all the decorations?" Paul asked.

"It seems like there's a festival going on," Dawn said. "Maybe it's for Darmanitan."

"That would make sense," Paul said. He smirked. "What better way to make a start in this region."

"A festival celebrating a pokémon is the perfect place," Dawn agreed. As they crossed a bridge they noticed there was a huge crowd blocking off the street.

"And there's the audience," Paul said. They both transformed and calmly walked to the crowd. Dawn tried to look over the shoulders but huffed when she was too short to see. Paul snickered under his breath, earning a glare from his partner.

"Vine whip," Dawn muttered. Vines sprouted from her wrist and she used them to lift herself. She shook, trying to steady herself. "Wow, these things are really strong." She looked over the crowd, her eyes narrowing. "I see them." The vines disappeared and she landed on the ground.

"Right ahead?" Paul asked.

"Right ahead," Dawn replied, nodding her head. Paul tapped the shoulder of the person in front of them. He turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of them.

"Can we get through?" he asked. The guy nodded dumbly and moved, letting them pass. The crowd seemed to part like a sea after that. It wasn't long before Dawn and Paul were at the center. The three pokémon looked at them in confusion.

"Who are you?" one of the Darumaka asked.

"We're Legend Catchers," Dawn introduced, bowing. Paul bowed as well. The two smaller pokémon were about to run towards them when Darmanitan stopped them. He approached them slowly and circled them, watching them with narrowed eyes. Their audience was watching in tensed silence. Darmanitan looked down at them.

"Stand," he ordered. The two did as they were told. "I thought the Legend Catchers were extinct."

"Arceus would never leave this world unprotected," Dawn said.

"Our predecessors did disappear, but as you can see, the blood didn't die out," Paul told him.

"So you are their children," Darmanitan said, watching them closely. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard that you saved the bell tower," Dawn said. "We wanted to check up on you, see how you were recovering."

"Oh! I can't stand it anymore!" one of the Darumaka shouted.

"Papa, what are legend catchers?" the other asked.

"Legend Catchers secure and protect the gods. In ancient times Lord Arceus created this power and gave it to those he saw fit," Darmanitan said. "My mother told me they were wiped out."

"Not completely, as you can sees," Paul said, gesturing to the two of them.

"How are we supposed to know that you are real, and not some imposter?" Darmanitan asked, narrowing his eyes. Dawn looked at Paul, who smirked.

"How about a battle?" Paul suggested. The crowd broke out into a quiet murmur. Dawn looked at him nervously.

"Children," Darmanitan called. The Darumaka ran forward. Darmanitan walked away, sitting on the sidelines.

"Alright!" the younger one cheered.

"Time to battle!" The older one said.

"Ready?" Paul asked.

"I guess," Dawn said with a sigh. She raised her arms, as did Paul.

"Where are your pokémon?" they asked.

"You'll see," Paul said. "You can move first." The two Darumaka nodded and both tilted back their heads. Fire shot out of their mouths.

"Leaf Tornado!" Dawn shouted, throwing her hands out. A tornado of leaves surrounded them, creating a barrier. The crowd gasped, staring at them in shock. The Darumaka jumped back in surprise.

"Water gun!" Paul's hands glowed blue and water shot out of them, rushing towards the two fire types. They tumbled back, soaked.

"What was that?" the older one winced, rubbing his head.

"That really hurt," the younger one groaned.

"Vine whip!" Vines shot out of Dawn's wrists and wrapped around them, lifting them up. "It's my turn to shine!" Dawn declared, twirling. The Darumaka shrieked as they started to spin. The vines braided together, smacking the two pokémon together. The older one snapped out of it and spit embers at the vines. Dawn let out a shout as the vines out on fire. The fire quickly spread down the vines, heading towards her.

"Razor shell!" Paul jumped up and quickly sliced the vines before the fire could reach her. Dawn hissed as the remaining vines shot back into her wrist.

"That really hurt," she winced, rubbing her wrists.

"Sorry," Paul said. The two Darumaka landed on the ground, smiling at them.

"Enough," Darmanitan said, stepping between them. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Dawn muttered.

"Let me see," Paul said, grabbing her wrists. He could see little spots of red on her gloves. He pressed his finger on them, only to have Dawn flinch and try to yank her hands away. Paul pulled his fingers away, looking at the red liquid on his fingers. "You're bleeding."

"I guess the vines are part of my body," Dawn said quietly.

"You two are new, aren't you?" Darmanitan asked, watching their exchange.

"Yes, we are," Paul said with a sigh. One of the Darumaka ran up to her and held up a sitrus berry.

"Eat it. It'll make you feel better," he said. Dawn knelt down and accepted the fruit.

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head. She stood up and bit the fruit. She smiled as she felt her wrists heal. "I guess berries affect us the same as well."

"We'll look it up later," Paul said. He blinked as he felt something tug on his pant leg. He looked down, seeing a little girl with pigtails. "What?" he asked.

"Are you pokémon?" she asked.

No," Paul answered.

"Then what are you?" a boy asked, running forward.

"We're human," Paul told them.

"But you used pokémon moves," another kid said. Dawn could see that Paul was beginning to get irritated and chuckled nervously, pushing him back.

"We were given power by Arceus," She told them. "He gave us the powers of pokémon, and the ability to communicate with them."

"Really?" the kids looked at them in awe.

"Wow, that makes you guys like superheroes!" one boy said excitedly.

"Uh, I guess," Dawn said.

"So, what are your names?" pigtails asked.

"We can't tell you," Paul said.

"And why not?" she asked. Dawn laughed as Paul got more and more irritated. She kneeled down and looked at the kids.

"Because, that would put us in danger," Dawn told her. "Plus if you knew, someone could hurt you to try and find out. We want to protect you, not hurt you."

"Duh! Haven't you ever heard of a secret identity?" one of the boys yelled at her. The girl shrank back.

"Hey, don't yell at her," Dawn said softly, stroking the girl's hair.

"So what are your hero names?" a boy asked.

"We don't have any," Paul said, crossing his arms.

"And why not?" another asked.

"Do you want to give us names?" Dawn asked.

"Can we?" a girl asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Sure," Dawn said.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Cheren asked, stepping forward. Dawn and Paul looked at him in slight shock.

"What do you have in mind?" Paul asked, a smirk slowly appearing on his face.

"Well, you two protect the weak and bring hope to people and pokémon alike," Cheren said. He placed a finger on his chin, thinking. "Celestial and Titan."

"Who are they?" the pigtailed girl asked.

"Celestial is the goddess of hope. She protected the weak and helped those in need." Cheren said. "And Titan is the god of punishment. He punishes the wicked and those that would dare harm others."

"Titan, huh?" Paul muttered. "I like it."

"It does fit you," Dawn said with a smile. "And I really like Celestial."

"They sound great!" the kids cheered, laughing with them.

"Alright, Celestial and Titan it is," Dawn said.

* * *

"So," Paul said as Cheren met up with them outside the village. Dawn smiled as he gave her her egg back. "Titan and Celestial, huh?"

"Yes, I learned about them a few years ago," Cheren said.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Paul said. "You've thought about this before."

"About what?" Cheren asked.

"Giving us names," Dawn said, nuzzling her egg.

"Well, I guess so," Cheren said, scratching his cheek. "You guys can't exactly call each other by name in public."

"Still, when were you gonna tell us?" Paul said with a smirk.

"Uh, well I, uh," Cheren said, his face turning red.

"Relax, he's just teasing," Dawn said with a smile.

"Troublesome, you're a killjoy," Paul said with a huff.

"To be honest, I don't know when I would have brought it up," Cheren confessed. "But those kids just gave me a great opportunity to bring it up."

"Well I like them," Dawn said.

"They are fitting," Paul agreed.

"So we're Celestial and Titan now," Dawn said, looking up at the sunset.

"Guess so," Paul said, crossing his arms.


	17. Chapter 17

Dawn, Paul and Cheren strolled through the woods.

"I can't make heads or tails out of any of this," Dawn said with a sigh.

"Let me see," Paul said, taking her journal. He flipped through the pages looking them over. "Wow."

"What?" Cheren asked.

"He gets really technical and scientific," Paul said. "Yeah, you've been screwed." He handed her back the book and Dawn groaned.

"I knew it," she said sadly.

"We're here!" Cheren announced. The two looked at him before looking forward at the city ahead of them.

"Are you sure?" Dawn asked. Paul raised his watch and brought up the town map.

"Nacrene City, right ahead," Paul said.

"And that's where your next gym battles are!" Dawn said with a smile.

"I repeat, if you put on that ridiculous outfit, you will regret it," Paul said.

"What outfit?" Joltik scurried up Paul's back and onto his shoulder.

"I have a cheerleader outfit," Dawn answered. "I used it to cheer for Ash in his gym battles."

"That sounds stupid." Joltik said.

"Hey!" Dawn shouted.

"You make it so plainly obvious that you're a child," Snivy said with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joltik growled, glaring at the snake pokémon.

"Like I said, a child," Snivy said, turning up her nose.

"Now now, play nice," Dawn told her pokémon. Snivy 'hmph'ed and nodded.

"Joltik, behave," Paul scolded.

"She started it!" Joltik shouted in protest.

"And I'm ending it," Paul said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some pokémon treats. "If you stop you can have these."

"Alright, I'll stop," Joltik agreed.

"Good girl." Paul smirked as Joltik scurried across his arm, eating the treats in his hand. Once they were gone she took her spot on his back, nuzzling his cheek as she passed.

"Aw, how cute," Dawn said with a smile.

"Joltik's really taken a liking to you," Cheren said with a smile. "I didn't think she'd warm up this fast."

"Can't say I'm complaining," Paul said with a shrug. "Now let's just go, we don't have all day."

* * *

Dawn froze as they walked through the city.

"What's wrong?" Cheren asked. Dawn pointed forward and they saw Ash and two others. Paul grabbed her arm and immediately hid behind a building. "You know that really doesn't clear anything up."

"What was that for?" Dawn shouted in a whisper. She yanked her arm back and glared at him.

"Listen troublesome, what do you think that pathetic trainer is going to do when he sees us together?" Paul growled out. Dawn blinked and peered around the corner and watched Ash for a moment.

"You have a point," Dawn said with a hum. "But he saw Zekrom, so we have to talk to him."

"Are you really prepared for what's going to happen when he starts asking why you're so interested?" Paul asked. "We aren't really supposed to tell anyone."

"Well I think you already broke that rule," Cheren said, crossing his arms. "They're coming this way." Paul and Dawn ducked behind a dumpster as Ash and his friends walked by.

"That was an awesome battle, right Pikachu?" Ash said happily.

"Yeah!" Pikachu agreed happily.

"And you've got your second gym badge too," his female companion said with a smile.

"Iris! What's next, what's next?" a small dragon like pokémon asked excitedly.

"Are you ready for your third badge?" a green haired boy asked.

"Yeah! Bring it on Cilan!" Ash said in excitement. The trio passed the alley, not even noticing Cheren standing there. Once they were gone Dawn and Paul came out of hiding.

"He gone?" Paul asked.

"Yeah," Cheren said. "Now do you mind telling me what's going on?" He watched them crawl out from their hiding spot and stand up.

"That was Ash, the guy I traveled through Sinnoh with," Dawn explained as she got up.

"And you needed to hide because?" Cheren raised his eyebrow.

"Because Paul's one of his rivals. If he saw us together, it probably wouldn't be good," Dawn said.

"Can we just forget this and just get to the gym?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, we should stop by the center first though," Dawn said with a sigh.

"The pokémon center is actually really close to the gym, they're both this way," Cheren said, pointing in the right direction.

* * *

"Cheren, I hate you so much," Paul hissed, glaring at the boy.

"How was I supposed to know that he was heading here?" Cheren asked. Dawn pouted as she looked inside the center, seeing Ash and his friends at the desk. "And wait! Why me? Dawn's the one that suggested going to the center!"

"Hey!" Dawn hissed, glaring at him.

"Alright, how about you just take our pokémon in to get healed," Paul suggested, holding out his two pokéballs. Dawn sighed and looked down at her egg.

"I don't wanna keep parting with her," Dawn said sadly.

"Do you wanna be spotted or not?" Paul hissed. Dawn sighed and handed over the egg.

"I'll be right back." The two watched Cheren enter the center and both sighed.

"This trip just got a whole lot more annoying." Paul huffed and crossed his arms. He leaned against the window and watched people pass by on the street. Dawn sighed and crouched down, watching them as well.

"Maybe we should stay here for a little while," Dawn suggested. "If we stay here a few days more than needed we can put some distance between us and him."

"If it's the only thing to do." Paul pulled up his watch and sorted through it. "There's a museum with a library here. We could use that to do some research. And it's also the gym. Two birds, one stone."

"That'll work," Dawn said. She crawled on the ground and glanced into the center. Her eyes widened and she scrambled up, grabbing Paul's hand. "They're coming!" Paul let himself be dragged around the corner. They watched as Ash and his companions left the center. Pikachu, who was following behind them, stopped and sniffed the air. He turned around and spotted them. Dawn quickly put a finger over her mouth and shook her head urgently. Pikachu tilted his head and ran over to them.

"Hi Dawn!" He jumped on her body, settling on her shoulder. He nuzzled against her cheek and cooed. "What are you doing here? And with him?" Paul narrowed his eyes and growled softly.

"Pikachu!" Dawn groaned. "I'm happy to see you, I am, really, but you can't be here." She set Pikachu down and looked him in the eye. "Ash can't know that we're here, alright?"

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because he just can't!" Paul hissed.

"Paul! Be a bit more nice!" Dawn hissed, glaring up at him. She turned to Pikachu and smiled. "So, can you keep a secret?"

"Hey Pikachu! Where are you?"

"Look, when we're ready, we'll let Ash know," Dawn said quickly. "But for right now he can't!"

"Alright, but you owe me." Pikachu agreed. He ran around the corner, running up to Ash.

"There you are buddy! Where'd you go?" Ash asked. Pikachu apologized and rubbed his cheek. "Alright, just don't run off again." Paul and Dawn looked carefully around the corner. They quickly raced towards the door to the center and ran in.

"Are they gone?" Cheren asked as they approached him.

"Yeah, we're staying here for a few more days," Paul said. "Put some space between us and him."

"Then we should use our extra time to train before our gym battle," Cheren suggested.

* * *

"Electric web!" Dawn yelped as she tumbled out of the way of the attack.

"You know, when you mentioned training, I thought you meant you'd be training your pokémon!" she said, glaring at Paul.

"That actually was my intention," Cheren said.

"Come on, _Celestial_, aren't you gonna fight?" Paul teased with a smirk.

"Oh! If you're going to be that way _Titan_, than fine! Leaf Tornado!" Dawn threw out her hands. Paul jumped out of the way to avoid the attack.

"Pathetic." Dawn let out a frustrated scream at his scoff.

"Stay still!" Vines grew out of her body and sped towards Paul. He jumped out of the way of them.

"You'll never catch me at this rate." Paul sighed and side stepped her attacks.

"Shut up!" Dawn shouted. The vines stopped moving and Paul looked at her in slight confusion. "Oh! You get on my nerves so much! Of all people, why did it have to be you? Why did you have to be the other Legend Catcher?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Paul said. "How does Emi expect me to work with such a troublesome girl like you."

"Guys, can we not fight, please?" Cheren asked nervously.

"Stay out of this," Paul ordered. "Anything else you wanna throw at me princess?"

"I've got a lot of things I can say to you!" Dawn shouted.

"I knew they didn't like each other, but I thought they had been doing well." Cheren sighed and shook his head.

"Go ahead and say them," Paul taunted. "You really think that some words said by a bratty little girl will affect me?"

"Oh! You arrogant, self-centered jerk!" Dawn stomped her foot on the ground, glaring at him hotly.

"Ouch, I think you really hurt me with that one," Paul said sarcastically.

"Just shut up!" Dawn shouted. A light glowed under her. Paul grunted as he was blasted back, slamming into a tree. "Oh my Gods!" Dawn gasped and ran over to him.

"Paul, you alright?" Cheren asked.

"Yeah...what was that?" Paul grunted as he stood up.

"I-I don't know," Dawn said. "I just – just got angry and then I felt something wash over me."

"What was that strange glow coming from under you?" Cheren asked.

"I don't know! This hasn't happened before!" Dawn said.

"You weren't angry before," Paul told her. "You've always been calm in this form."

"Maybe..." Cheren hummed, thinking.

* * *

Dawn narrowed her eyes at the targets. Cheren had his laptop set up, recording Dawn.

"Go ahead, get mad," Cheren said.

"I'm trying!" Dawn shouted, puffing her cheeks out. "But it's no use, the emotion is gone."

"Great." Paul huffed and rolled his eyes. "What good is it if you can't even get mad?"

"Oh shut up!" Dawn shouted, glaring at him. She turned back to the targets and growled. A light glowed under her once more and the targets were pushed back, slamming into the trees and breaking. She gasped and flinched back.

"Perfect! That was just what we needed!" Cheren rushed over to his laptop and stopped his recording. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed away.

"Well, at least we know how to get you mad," Paul said with a smirk.

"Funny, few things actually can." Dawn smirked right back, undoing her transformation. Paul did the same and they approached Cheren.

"Let's head back to the Center while this processes," Cheren said, closing his laptop.

"You two go ahead, I still have some training to do." Paul turned back to the field and took out his pokéballs.

"Alright." The two nodded and left him alone.

"Oshawott, Joltik, standby!"


End file.
